The Wooing of Hinamori Momo
by Davan
Summary: Hinamori has her eyes finally opened to just what she has been missing all these years.
1. Chapter One

**Author**: Davan

**Title**:The Wooing of Hinamori Momo.

**Summary**: Hinamori finally opens her eyes to what she has been missing.

**Warnings**: Spoilers!

**AN**: All right, a little artistic liberty has been taken here. Not much, just a little, and so if you don't like something let me know.

_Chapter One_

He had grown. She had missed it. She was not surprised. She had spent the last fifty or so years trapped in a world of her own making. No one blamed her for that. Aizen had crushed her gentle soul, almost beyond repair. And even now, the sparkle had not fully returned to her gaze, her step no longer held the bounce it once did. Her response to the world was no longer full of the laughter and innocence that had once filled her.

She had changed.

Even if she had not been so acutely aware of it, she would have seen it in everyone else's eyes. It was harder for her to trust now; people had to come to her with more than words before she would jump into things. Even then her steps were light. Her friends had moved on faster than she had. They had done their best to bring her with them, but she had never been quite ready to march at that pace, not anymore.

Matsumoto had changed as well. She still smiled, she still laughed and teased, but her smile had turned a bit wistful and even when she laughed her eyes held a small bit of sadness that she couldn't seem to shake. She drank more now as well. She wasn't sure why Hitsugaya permitted this, but she was thankful. It was his way of taking care of her, she guessed. Defending her from her critics and allowing her the escape she needed.

Even the rumors that should have been there were missing. She would have wondered, but she had seen the lost look that haunted her eyes when Matsumoto was drifting off into space, she wore the same look these days. Sometimes she would come out of her thoughts quickly and sometimes when she thought that no one was looking she would stare out a window for hours, the forlorn expression overcoming all others, until Hitsugaya would order her out of it with paperwork.

She would have been jealous of the look of gratitude that the older, curvier death god threw her captain, but she could remember a time when she would have graced her own captain with the same look. And she found she didn't have the heart to wonder if perhaps the women had fallen for him, it was unfathomable to her. Not when her heart so obviously cried out for Gin.

And for that she pitied her. There was nothing she would not have done for Gin, it was obvious in the way she still mourned the man for the last fifty years. She wondered if Matsumoto would ever completely heal, just as she wondered if she ever would.

Some scars did not lie on the body, but on the soul. And sometimes time wasn't enough to heal those scars. She sighed, her breath creating a light mist on the window she herself had been staring out of for the last hour or so. After the death of Aizen she had been assigned a new captain. He was kind; if not a bit sterner than Aizen had been, and she was thankful for that. Thankful for the differences that were so obviously marked between him and Aizen.

If it would have helped, she would have requested to be sent anywhere else, but the men and women under her had asked her to say. Their eyes had been kind and filled with patience and something akin to a loving friendship when she had sat down to talk with them about requesting a transfer. She had owed it to them after all. She was the only leadership they had left.

"_I do not think I can be the vice-captain you need now." She told them all softly. She felt so tired these days, her body was still recovering from the massive trauma she had undergone, while her mind fought for the strength that she needed. Her thoughts were sluggish and prone to wander, always back to Aizen. What she could have done to change what happened. _

"_What?" Had been the unanimous chorus and she forced herself to open eyes she had not been aware of closing. _

"_It will take me some time to recover, maybe even years." She replied her voice faint compared to the outraged whispers that were floating around the group. "I might not ever be able to fully come back, and even if I do, one of you could challenge me and win right now."_

"_Vice-captain Hinamori if you don't mind us saying, we have already come together and discussed this," A tall red-head informed her from the front. _

_Hinamori struggled to remember his name but right then she just couldn't pull the name she needed from the mass of confusion that had become her brain. "You…" she paused, "you have?"_

"_Yes we have, and we all came to the unanimous decision that you were as much a victim to Aizen as we were and that you did your best to defend us; trying to take on Ichimaru Gin in order to defend our captain's memory and seeking vengeance for our whole regiment. You followed every clue and link that had been given to you and did so to the best of your ability and knowledge. Because of this, we would like for you to stay as our Vice-Captain. Right now we need you as much as we think that you perhaps need us."_

_She stared at them for a moment, unconscious of the tear that slipped silently down her cheek, or the concerned gazes of her regiment, only conscious that perhaps, she was not as alone as she had once thought herself._

_She managed a weak smile, though it was full of the gratitude she felt towards them and the thankfulness for each of them. "Thank you."_

She smiled then, a far cry from the weak imitation that she had given her regiment so many years ago and a definite improvement from the Hinamori that she had been for so long.

No she was not the Hinamori that had grown up in a world of love and kindness but neither was she the broke Hinamori that had woken in confusion and anger; the Hinamori who had been in so much physical and mental pain that she no longer understood her world. While the feelings of betrayal, loss, loneliness and anger at herself had haunted her for months, the only constant that had been in her life had been Hitsugaya, and even then her beloved Shiro-chan had changed.

She had seen it the first time she had awakened. It had been in the middle of the night. She had been strangely thankful for the familiar dark. All the dreams that she could remember had been full of the dark with Aizen's taunting words echoing through out her brain. She heard him explain his plot to her over and over again, her mind no longer able to shield out the world, she had been helpless to the call of defeat and it had taken over her dreams.

Every now and then she would feel a comforting presence and a soft call would bring her from the nightmare that she never seemed to be able to escape. During those rare moments of almost peace she would only partially be aware of words she could not hear, but meanings that echoed in her brain calmed her, even if she couldn't understand them.

No, her regiment had not abandoned her. In fact they had been a strong influence on her those first few weeks during her recovery. She had been forced out of her own thoughts to tend to them. With Aizen gone she was overloaded with paperwork but more than one person had stepped in to give her a hand while deliberations over a good captain for her squad continued. She was aware that Hitsugaya had requested that a good chunk of the paper work that belonged to her division be given to him instead. Unfortunately, she had never had the courage to ask him about it.

That was perhaps her greatest downfall in all of this, Hitsugaya. Oh how she had longed for their childhood moments early during the first weeks of her recovery. She would escape into her memories of him when nothing else seemed to work, memories of '_bed wetter Momo'_, never failed to make her smile, and would pull her away from the depression that could so quickly sneak up into her life.

He had been such a delightful child.

Always hiding behind his gruff manner and quick wit even then, hiding his innocence behind his then unknown genius, he had brought her so much joy when they had been younger with his constant declarations that he was the one who was supposed to be protecting _her_. She smiled fondly in remembrance.

Of course, being who he was, he had never needed her to wipe tears from his eyes and remove the streaks of dirt that had collected there before anyone else would have noticed. Nor would he have needed someone to hold his hand when he realized that he was afraid of something new. And she had _never _comforted him when it seemed like the whole world was falling apart at his feet and he was powerless to stop it. No, he had of course, always been the strong one who was there for her, never her for him.

And yet, it was that attitude precisely which had drawn her so strongly to him.

For the short time that they had lived there, those had been the happiest days of her life. He had been her constant companion, and she his. That was all that either of them had ever needed. Only she had not recognized the signs until she was already over halfway through her death god training and by then Aizen had taken over much of what he had once been.

Of course, she had ruined so much of what was left with of their relationship with hastily laid accusations and Tobiume's tip. Another sigh of air and her window was covered once again. She smiled faintly to herself before quickly writing in delicate scrip on the now covered window, 'S_hiro-chan_'. She paused with a small smile at her whimsicalness. Shiro-chan was no more, not for her anyway.

She could still remember it like it was yesterday. Waking from her long sleep, finally breaking free of the dreams and the darkness that had held her under for so long, it was a day that brought many feelings: mostly regret.

_Her eyes fluttered open, the movement was almost simultaneous with them closing once again, and she felt the air rush out of her lungs in a frustrated sigh that she was not even aware of emitting. _

_There was a slight rustle to her right and she suddenly wondered if she was really waking up or if she was just trapped in another dream. _

"_Hinamori?"_

_She knew that voice, her eyes fluttered again and this time they stayed open, much to her relief. She tried to tilt her head to the side but couldn't muster the strength, thankfully she didn't have to. The moment her eyes opened a familiar pair of green eyes were thrust into her vision._

"_You're awake."_

_She decided right then and there that something was wrong with her Shiro-chan, his voice was way too soft and he looked like he wanted to cry, had something happened?_

"_Sh…" her voice cracked before she could finish her sentence and then his hand was gentle covering her mouth._

"_Don't speak, stupid." His eyes softened either further, and she was almost certain that water was forming in his eyes. He moved out of her line of sight for a moment before he was suddenly there. An arm slipped behind her back and helped her sit up, before a cup was lifted to her lips. "Drink this."_

_The water was cool and sweet to her parched mouth and she gave a content sigh as he helped her settle back into her pillows. "Get some sleep Hinamori; I will let Unohana know that you have woken."_

_She frowned slightly at his words. "I … y…u…"_

_He leaned forward, and hesitated for a moment before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Go to sleep Hinamori; do not argue with me on this one… please." _

_She sighed, her eyes closing at the contact of his soft lips on her skin, and she found she could not argue with him. Not when he was acting this way, she had never been able to argue with him when he dropped down that shield he cherished so dearly. . _

_She never remembered falling asleep._

Regret, yes definitely regret. She regretted that whatever had been between them in that one single moment in time was lost to them both now. Soon after waking had come the anger, the pain, and the fierce need to remove everyone from her live who had ever been involved with anything that reminded her of Aizen, much to her constant remorse and lack of foresight, the person she had pushed the hardest against had been Hitsugaya.

"Hinamori?" her name jerked her out of her mental wanderings. She turned her hand rising to wipe the name from the window as she shifted her position. She felt her gut clench as her brain registered whose voice it was that had called out to her, even as her eyes rose to meet his gaze.

"Hitsugaya-kun," She acknowledged, forcing down her wayward thoughts she offered him a smile.

He leaned against the doorframe a brow quirking upwards, and she felt her breath catch at the look on his face. It was nothing new, that slight curving of his lips, the quirk of his brow, the mask that he constantly wore, this was Captain Hitsugaya Toushirou, of the tenth division, and yet…

"You missed vice-captains meeting, Matsumoto was worried."

She let the sound of his voice wash over her; it had deepened over the years to the point where he could quiet the most irrational of his division with a soft word instead of the deep scowl he had adopted when he was younger. She had discovered that once she had noticed the timbre of his voice it was constantly moving throughout her head. It was just one of the many things about Hitsugaya Toushirou that she just didn't seem to be able to ignore anymore.

"Tell Matsumoto that I am sorry I worried her, I was lost in my thoughts." She paused at the slight quirking of his brow, "and I am afraid I did not notice the passage of time." She continued in a slight rush, desperate to get her reason out before he managed to fluster her, again.

He straightened from his position, another reminder of how tall he had grown. His head came to rest just under the door jam. He was taller than Renji now. "You seem to be caught in your thoughts more often these days Hinamori."

She smiled. "It's nothing to worry about Hitsugaya-kun." She was no longer able to see past the mask he wore, now when she would have given anything to know what he was thinking that path was no longer open to her. So she was left with old games, and out dated moves that were slowly starting to fail her. She just didn't know how to read him anymore, and so while she played the game, she prayed that he never discovered her secrets.

She sighed softly. '_You brought this upon yourself Hinamori, its time to sleep in the bed you made.'_

He moved to the window next to her. "So your sudden relapse into your thoughts has nothing to do with today's date?" His voice was the same neutral tone he took with everyone else, but the almost too casual way he was standing led her to hope that perhaps he still worried about her.

But that also explained why he had come instead of Matsumoto. Hinamori shook her head before turning her eyes back out the window. Today was the fiftieth anniversary of Aizen's attack on her. The day that she had fallen into a comma, the day she had realized that the man she had worshiped and loved was nothing more than an illusion.

"No." _'No, Aizen will not grasp me from the grave, I have moved on further than that.' _"I simply lost track of the time, I apologize, Captain."

That caused him to pause, his gaze sliding across her features and she pushed the blush down that threatened to rise up into her cheeks at his scrutiny. "Is something wrong Hinamori?"

'_Everything, nothing,'_ "No, everything is fine. If you will excuse me, I need to go report to my Captain as I am sure he will want to speak to me and since I missed the meeting, I will need to find someone and play catch up quickly." '_You could ask me to stay.'_

"Of course," He nodded, "I will pass on your message to Masumoto."

She smiled again, tilting her head back to smile into his eyes. Appearances after all had to be maintained, instead she found herself threatening to turn bright red as something that she could not read slithered across his eyes and sent her scuttling for the door as quick as her feet would carry her. A quick, "I will see you later," and then she was gone.

Hitsugaya paused as her retreating figure disappeared. A quick glance about the room to confirm that he was alone and a slight touch to Hyourinmaru, and the frost re-created itself on the window seal. '_Shiro-chan', _appeared reluctantly on the window seal. One brow quirked upwards before a slow satisfied smile started to work its way up the corner of his lips before he pulled his mask firmly back into place. His fingers moved upwards to trace lines next to the name he had not heard from her in so long.

"Hinamori…."


	2. Chapter Two

**Author:** Davan

**Story Title:** The Wooing of Hinamori Momo

**Summary: **Hinamori's eyes are finally opened to what she has been missing. **  
Warnings:** Contains spoilers past the anime!

_**Chapter Two**_

_Coward! Chicken! Sorry excuse of a vice-captain!' _She ranted at herself as she worked her way down the corridor towards her captain's office. She new Hitsugaya would get suspicious of her constant retreats soon enough if she had been him she would have already been asking. In fact she was surprised he hadn't just casually strolled by and asked if she thought she smelled, or something _equally_ ridiculous.

She was such a mess!

It wasn't like she hadn't had to work for years to be able to look herself in the eye and not wonder if there was something, anything, she could have done to change Aizen's mind. And even longer for her to realize that he had used her the whole time and that there was simple nothing she could do about that.

Then there was the whole lets push everyone away because your not worthy of friends right now stage she had gone through. It had been the shortest of all the stages she had gone through because she had quickly found out how hard it was to function without a support base. She had pushed so hard against Hitsugaya tried so hard to take him out of her life however, she was amazed that he spoke to her at all anymore, much less causally drop by to question why she is being broody again.

And on top of that she was _attracted to him!_

And yes that admission had taken the longest to get to, it was like Kami-san coming back to bite her in the butt, hard.

She had done well over the last several years not to revel her growing attraction for her childhood friend. Really she had. They had worked on several projects together and she had never once slipped. She could laugh off her blush to being the sun, and she had always had a natural clumsiness to her which would come out at the worst moments, that enabled her to handle scrutiny when he would turn to her to find her in some awkward position.

'Oops I tripped,' worked wonders on her cover. That wasn't to say that some of them didn't know. Matsumoto knew for sure, because Hinamori had gone to her more once in tears because she simple didn't know the answer to all the questions that were constantly going through her head. Probably not the wisest thing to do, not when Matsumoto was concerned, but when the number of female Death Gods were limited, you took what you got. Rukia was still so totally enamored with Ichigo that they made her feel slightly sick at times and well… it had been narrowed down after several days of debate to Matsumoto.

She laughed humorlessly at herself. Poor Matsumoto, she was positive that she had never wanted to know that much about Hitsugaya. The strange expressions that had flittered across her face as she had confessed that she had fallen for her captain, and couldn't tell him because her stupid mistakes in the past… and because she was an idiot and was terrified of the lack of reaction she would receive.

That scared her the most, admitting she was way past the 'I like you stage' only to have that icy gaze never waver and then him to turn and walk out… she really didn't deserve much better. She had been horrible to him for such a long time, only in the last decade or so had they started to get back on good standing with each other. She just wasn't the Hinamori that he had worked so hard to protect when they had been younger, that had been the first revelation she had undergone with herself.

Matsumoto had, needless to say, laughed harder than she had really thought her confession had warranted. And it had only been her threat of never telling the women a thing again that had stopped her torrent of giggles.

That however, did not mean every time she passed her for a week that she didn't start to laugh again which would cause her to turn pink and wonder if the girl had been drinking again.

She did feel badly about missing today's meeting however. And she would probably have to deal with some teasing from any of the other vice-captains that she happened to come across. It was odd though, because Matsumoto had taken it upon herself to start checking in on her on her way to the meetings.

Today she must have forgotten.

Not that today's meeting had been overly important it was simply over what was going on with the captains recently, a practice that they had started after the demise of Aizen and Ichimaru, to ensure that if a vice-captain knew of anything suspicious they all knew and could work together to figure it out. And so once a week they reported on their captains movements.

She would have had nothing to report and the most in the last fifty or so years that they had worth discussing was when Renji had taken an interest in a young lady and they had all enjoyed following his progress with her through each other. Being an ex-vice captain himself and someone who they all highly respected most of them still felt comfortable enough with him to tease him.

But that still didn't explain why Matsumoto had not come and checked on her herself… sure she understood that today was the anniversary, but Hitsugaya had long ago stopped his daily checks on her.

"There you are!" was the only warning she had before she was grabbed and yanked into one of the many empty rooms that lined the hallways. She gave a startled yelp and whipped around to face her attacker, hand going to where her sword should have been… and came face to face with the remaining twelve vice-captains who were giving her highly amused looks, "Did you forget about something this morning Hinamori?" Yachiru demanded from her position on Kira's shoulder.

"The meeting?" She guessed her tone meek with resignation to whatever they had come up with to tease her about it, with all of them involved it was sure to be something entertaining, for them at least.

"No!" the smallest vice-captain chirped in amusement. "I think she forgot!" she informed Kira who tilted his head back to give her a nod of agreement.

"I think your right."

Hinamori smiled then, Yachiru had that effect on all of them. The little girl had grown, but only a small bit, it seemed she was quiet content to ride on her Ken-sans back and pretend to be a child still. Yet there was so much wisdom in that small body, it would only come out in the strangest situations but it was still there. All the vice-captains respected her if for nothing else than she was Zaraki Kenpachi's vice-captain.

"Why don't you remind her?" Matsumoto quipped, and the little girl beamed.

"The BALL!" She said overenthusiastically causing all everyone in the vicinity around her to wince, her high child's voice loud in the small room.

"The ball?" She repeated, a frown creasing her face… "what ball?" When had someone mentioned such and thing, and how had she forgotten?

Matsumoto laughed then. "It's not actually a ball but that is what Yachiru likes to call it so it's what we have dubbed it. The dance celebrating the 1,000th year of some such and such date, I really don't remember what it's exactly for but we, the vice-captains, have been asked to put it together."

Ah that was Matsumoto, remember that there was going to be an occasion to drink but not what the actual occasion was actually about. She smiled at her friend and received a quick wink in return.

"Matsumoto has offered to take care of decorations with Yachiru," Nemu Kurotshuchi, the vice-captain of the twelve division, said. "While Shuuhei, Marechiyo, and Tetsuzaemon are taking care of the food, what we need to know is if you can handle the invitation aspect with Kira, as they captains requested that invitations go out to the squads so that they felt special or something like that. If you two can design the invitation the rest of us will see they get to our respected divisions."

That was probably Captain Unohana 's doing, she mused, since she was the only one who would probably go out of her way to try to make her squadron feel like they were special and being included in something. It wasn't that the other captains didn't care; it was just that it wasn't worth the effort it would take. That and since the fourth division got picked on so hard it would be good for them to feel included.

Hinamori nodded, "That sounds easy enough." She smiled at Kira who returned it with a quick grin of his own.

Nemu smiled in return, "Good. I shall be the go between for each of squads and make sure that if you all need anything I can get it for you all."

This made sense because Nemu had access to things that the rest of them really didn't have, not to mention a freaky captain who could be counted on to scare anyone into giving up information.

Matsumoto peeked outside the room and nodded. "Okay its all clear. Now remember this is TOP secret, which means only discuss something with your captain if you have to." She smiled, "and it's a traditional 'ball' which means traditional dress. So try to get something before everyone else hits the streets running. Now we will meet this time here in two days time does anyone have any questions?"

Hinamori nodded, "do you want traditional invitations?"

"That would be nice, especially if you can tailor it to each division and their captain. That would really make the squads feel like they were being invited to something nice." Nano pointed out.

"Nano, can you make a list of all the squads for us? That way we know how much material we need to get and what we can expect to need for food and other things for the party?"

"Of course, I will get a copy to you and Kira by the end of the day."

Matsumoto motioned to the door. "If were going to get out of without anyone seeing us we need to get going. The captains will be heading out for their rounds in a few minutes."

"RIGHT!" Yachiru said punching her fist into the air. "Off we go!"

The vice-captains all exchanged quick conspirators grins before they all headed in their own various directions to go back to doing what they did best.

Keeping their captains out of trouble.

The next two weeks were filled will far more travel and talk between the vice-captains. As a group they had always tried to stay strong and had actually handled the problems with Aizen and Ichimaru better than the captains had. They had all leaned on each other and pulled together as a unit, minus Hinamori who had obviously been under much more strain than the rest of them. Accepting the new vice-captains had been as easy as breathing for them as was ensuring that they did what they could to make sure Hinamori recovered. After all they all shared the singular goal: protect their captain no matter what and stay alive while doing so.

That and they tended to stay away from the bouts of prejudice that their captains had towards one another. They were not at the top of the spiritual power chain though they were close, so they tended to group together, often times caught between their division and their duty to their captain. It was a system that worked well.

And all of them watched the current relations with Hinamori and Captain Hitsugaya with something akin to borderline stalking. Hinamori was unaware of their constant scrutiny or of Matsumoto's stories about her captain's current state of mind when it came to the shorter vice-captain. Some of them had them shaking their heads at the lack of communication between the two while other stories them rolling in laughter. Even Yachiru would ask questions and would singularly declare that he needed to get his act together and ask her _out already!_

Nor was she aware of the plans that were being made to ensure that at some point during the new festivities he was able to catch her alone… but that was for a later date.

But this, this was a new time for them. Something that they all pitched in with their singular talent each with their own opinion and ideas and they were all excited over they upcoming ball. In fact it was so infectious that even Hinamori was seen humming the tunes to the music that they had picked out and even once had been seen dancing in the hallway with Vice-Captain Kira on their way to a meeting singing some strange song that none of the current residents of the area had ever heard. (_Needless to say Kira was getting glares from a certain disgruntled captain for the rest of the week… and amused looks from everyone else as he obviously tried to avoid the annoyed captain from then on out.)_

Not to mention the hours upon hours that they were seen clustered up together in rooms with the windows drawn and only emerging when they simply _had_ to go work on paperwork or report to their respective Captains. While others were in town going through various shop after shop; never to buy anything but asking plenty of questions that had the shop keepers in a tizzy to get them anything that thing that they needed, even if it was strange information that made no sense to them.

And then there was a flutter of couriers to and from that never really seemed to pause…

It seemed that whatever the vice-captains were working on, to the rest of the city, it was going to be worth paying attention to, and perhaps if they were lucky would give them something to talk about that would keep them entertained for a couple of weeks, something that had not been done since that strange blond man came and rescued the Princess Kuchiki.

"Hinamori!"

She looked up with a sigh, she was just about finished with the last invitation and then it was off to work on paperwork before _her_ captain came looking for her. The invitations were all set and ready to go except for the last for Captain Ukitate, as the symbol for his name was giving her all sorts of trouble today and she was determined to finish it one way or another.

Whoever had asked her to this obviously thought she had a lot more patience than she actually did. Did they have any idea how long it took to do handwritten invitations for six out of the thirteen squads, did they?

"Hinamori I have been looking for you for the past hour!" Matsumoto declared her hand propped on her hips as she stared at the smaller women, one brow quirking up in close imitation of her captains… which she found highly disturbing, as she was certain Matsumoto would have been had she looked in the mirror just then.

"Why?" she questioned her brow furrowing down in thought, had she forgotten to do something that her captain had requested of her? Did something happen to one of the men in her division?

"We! And by we, I mean you and me! Do not have outfits for the ball!"

Hinamori blinked, and blinked again. "Its still several days off, I am sure we will have plenty of…."

"_Exactly!"_ She was cut off quickly, "The invitations go out tomorrow if you're finished with them by then, and that means there is going to be a serious run on garments afterwards. If we want something that will fit us, make us look fabulous, and ensure that we don't look like anyone else, we simply must go shopping today!"

She paused mid stroke with her brush on the paper. "You sound like Rukia does when she has just discovered a new rabbit figure on something."

The blond women paused. "That is entirely beside the point. But since all the other girls, _including Yachiru_, have gotten their outfits already you are coming with me."

She stopped again, "Yachiru beat you to something?" she found the idea that the small pink haired girl had beaten the ever fashion conscious vice-captain highly amusing, and her expression must have given it away because Matsumoto scowled.

"You. Me. Shopping. Now!"

She sighed. No one argued with the women when she was in this mood. Even Hitsugaya was known to back down to the women when she was in this state of mind, though she doubted his excuse of 'she is just to much trouble to deal with when she is like this,' would work for her. "Fine, let me finish this last invitation and then we can go."

"Good," Matsumoto settled in a chair and crossed her arms in front of her. "I shall wait then, as I have already cleared this with your Captain and mine."

"You told them we were going shopping?"

She grinned, a wicked grin that was full of her own unique brand of mischievousness and she felt a brief moment of pity for the two male captains. "No, I did not."

She nodded and dipped her brush back into the ink. "Then I don't want to know."

"Thought so!"

Less than an hour later Matsumoto had them both in one of the many dress shops that were available to them outside of the protective walls that they lived in.

An hour after that and Hinamori who normally enjoyed shopping was totally wiped out and ready to call a halt for the day. It had not taken her long to find something that she had liked, though Matsumoto had had to loan her a small bit of money until she got her monthly stipend as it was just slightly out of her price range.

But the soft mint green Kimono had been absolutely perfect and even Matsumoto, whom she considered to be very knowledgeable on such things, had adored it. Declaring that the cut of it worked wonders for her slim figure and that it brought some much needed color to her cheeks, and she should buy it immediately.

She wasn't so sure about the needing more color comment, but she had felt completely feminine in the outfit and the soft material brought a sense of girlie satisfaction that her Death God robes simply just did not bring her on a day to day basis. So she had bought it. Even if she was going to be a bit poorer for the buying for a while, she had something to wear that she liked and had met approval at the same time, a rare feat indeed.

Matsumoto was not so easily satisfied.

Kimono after kimono was tried on by the curvy death god, and each and every one was caste aside. Hinamori was starting to wonder if Gin was going to come back from the dead with the amount of effort that she was putting into choosing the outfit.

"What are you looking for exactly?" she questioned for the hundredth time that day.

"I will know it when I see it!" the standard reply.

"Color preference?" for the eightieth time…

"Something that will make me stand out!"

She sighed, the same response as the last time, never mind that Matsumoto possessed the unique ability to stand out wherever she was. The cut of her death god robes, and good looks ensured that.

Which made her wonder if they had not stuck the gorgeous death god with Hitsugaya like they did because he was the only one young enough to ensure his hormones didn't finally give way and request a transfer so it was safe to go after the girl… then again the thought made her slightly green.

Sighing she held up a bright red kimono that had been hiding behind a green one… "What about this?"

Matsumoto paused, her eyes widening. "This has potential…"

Twenty minutes later they _finally _walked out of the store, Hinamori with an exhausted look on her face, and Matsumoto with a triumphant one.

"Shall I buy you dinner?" Matsumoto offered still preening over her chosen outfit by practically cuddling the bag.

"No thanks, I think I just want some tea and then bed after all of that." She pulled a face and sighed. "And maybe a good long soak in the bath, my feet are killing me." '_no thanks to the hundreds of shops you dragged me through…'_

"Just don't take to long of one, or else you will fall asleep." she warned, "and the captains will be passing out the invitations tonight. That was their part of the bargain, we planned it and each captain had to pass out invitations, which was the one thing none of us really wanted to do." She grinned, "It also gets them involved, well sort of if you count beating on someone's door and bellowing their name like some of them will do being involved. So someone should be stopping by as they due their evening rounds."

"Ah, thank you for the warning." She shuddered at the potentially embarrassing idea of her captain knocking on her door while she was soaking in her bath tube.

"Welcome, see you tomorrow at the meeting, and make sure you don't forget!"

She waved distractedly at the girl before turning down the hall that would take her to her room, and her bed. The walk was a short one, and apparently the captains were making rounds and handing out the invitations because she heard several knocks and declarations of names as she moved along the hall way. She giggled when she heard Zaraki Kenpachi, bellowing for some poor soul to open his door so he could get this over with.

She moved on quickly her laughter dying down and leaving her with the silence of the courtyard. She peeked around one of the corners and spotted several bemused faces peering outside their own doors and shook her head.

If only she had that image capturing thing Rukia had shown her back when she had been with her and Ichigo.

"You look like you just faced a hundred hollows your own…"

She looked up, belatedly realizing she was too tired to jump which meant that she was also unable to stop her blush from creeping up her cheeks. "Aye, you follow Matsumoto on a mission and we shall see how tired you get."

Hitsugaya nodded, "Ah so going shopping this afternoon was a mission?" His brow quirked upwards in what would have been amusement on anyone else, she smiled with a shrug.

"I don't think I am in any danger of falling asleep standing upright but thank you for your concern."

"And here I was thinking after a mission like that even Byakuya would have felt pity for you."

"Oh good I looked dead…" The scowl slid from his face for the barest of moments his eyes softening in what Matsumoto had deemed his laughter long ago, and Hinamori felt herself sadden at the hidden expression. When had he forgotten how to laugh?

It was only then that she realized that he had been casually walking her to her room and they had reached the front entrance to her rooms. She paused in front of her door. She was utterly exhausted, much to tired to read his expression, her brain on ready to get out of her shoes and into the warmth of her bed, mode.

She paused to look at him, not certain what she wanted to ask, but positive that there was _something_ she could say to him. '_A thank you for walking you to your room, even though you didn't realize that was what he was doing, would suffice, Hinamori.'_

"I have your invitation…" He said interrupting her mental planning, and pulled a delicate looking piece of paper, it was neatly written in Kira's handwriting so she was going to assume he had finished all his to, thankfully. If she had been forced to help him finish them, she might have gone mad at the sight of undone invitations.

"Someone mixed them all up so all of us captains are walking all over the city at the moment… someone is going to end up with paperwork." The last bit of his sentence was finished with something that was almost next to glee, and she wondered how much of his he was going to push off on his poor vice-captain.

"Matsumoto was with me all afternoon."

"That is good, just don't mention that to your captain or he will give you more as well I am sure."

She stopped in front of her door, and paused for a moment before picking her words carefully. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" She mentally applauded herself, '_Good something normal to ask him.'_

He looked down then, reminding her of the height difference between them, her head had to angle upwards to meet his gaze and she felt slightly uncomfortable idly wishing for the days where she shouted _down_ when she wanted his attention.

"I will have to decline, due to the fact that I have still many invitations to hand out…" he held up a fist full of delicate paper.

"Ah yes, well some other time then…" '_How did you forget he was passing out invitations?'_

"If you don't forget how to make tea between now and say, day after tomorrow I will take you up on that. And here is your invitation." He handed it to her with a slight flourish.

"Thank you." '_Did he just say were going to have tea in two days?'_

He nodded and turned to continue his rounds, "Just don't forget to RSVP." And then he was gone.

"RSVP?" She mused, confusion lighting her features. '_What does that mean?'_

La Loba de Mibu – see I updated soon! And to tell you the truth Chapter Three should be coming along before to long as well. I am so glad that you like my 'different' plot, I was really rather worried about that.

anGeL Hinaningyou – you know its funny because I absolutely ADORE your fics so every time I get a review from you I like 'jump up and down' and do other crazy things I shall not admit to. I am so very glad you like it.

Kisa is dreaming – Yah! Another double review, you guys are spoiling me, really. I am very glad you like it!

Chibi Rebel – it is kind of sad isn't it? I have to admit that is because with all the trauma poor Hinamori went through I just cant see her snapping back immediately. The healing, for me at least, would have taken quiet a while to get through. In this story its just a very prolonged thing, but I hope this chapter is a bit lighter while holding with the first chapter.

Gina – here is chapter two ready and waiting for you!

The next chapter should be up in a couple of days as I already have it typed out, I am just edited and editing and editing right now, as I try to catch all my mistakes (not very good at finding my own, but hey, I think I have gotten better over the years.)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Author:** Davan  
**Title **The Wooing of Hinamori Momo!

**Warnings: **anything past the anime!

**Disclaimer** – if I really owned Hitsugaya do you think I would be writing about him?

"Hinamori Momo! We are going to be late and do you know what I will be forced to do to you if were late and I don't get to see everyone's reactions to my decorations?" Matsumoto's voice floated through the cracked window, as did the sound of her impatient foot tapping.

"Hinamori! Come out, Yachiru will be late!"

She sighed at the sound of Yachiru's voice echoing along with Matsumoto and gave up what she was trying to do with her hair throwing it into its normal hair style with a shrug. If those two had joined forces to get her somewhere on what they deemed 'on time' she was not going to get anything else done before they broke down here door. Yachiru had committed that particular crime against her door more than once. With one last glance at herself in the mirror she nodded before moving to the door and swinging it open.

"All right, all right I am ready."

Matsumoto paused, in the middle of her speech on Hinamori's inability to be anywhere on time, her eyes traveling along her outfit before she sighed, "Yachiru do you see what I see?"

The pink haired vice-captain paused practically mid bounce and turned the same look of inspection on her that Matsumoto had. Apparently she came to the same conclusion because they exchanged concerned glances. "That is no good, no good at all." The smaller girl informed her seriously.

Hinamori looked down, her kimono was on correctly, and everything was lined up. She had made sure of that. In fact, she felt rather pretty in the outfit. So what were they looking at like she had committed some grave sin?

"Hinamori…" Matsumoto said patiently at her obviously confused look. "You look stunning, wonderful even, and every male there will appreciate the time you took to make yourself looks so darn cute. But you are not going to the party with THAT hair due!"

Yachiru nodded, "I have a barrette," she said pointing to the blue sparkly butterfly in her hair, "You need a barrette!"

Matsumoto pushed open the door, "we have two minutes."

"We can do it!"

The 'ball' was a hit. Even though all of the decorations had been done by Matsumoto and Yachiru not a single thing resembled a bottle of alcohol and the pink decorations had been kept at a minimum, though Yachiru had loudly explained that she personally thought that it should have been pinker.

Then there was the band. Not only had they managed to find people who could play the traditional songs that most of the people enjoyed trying to re-create dance steps to but there was newer music to. Some of it was recognized by those who had heard the vice-captains humming to themselves as they had worked over the last week or so and some of it was simply enjoyed for its musical artistry.

Overall it was truly deemed a hit by the vice-captains when Byakuya was seen dancing with his younger sister. Though Rukia was laughing at the time and his movements were rather stiff it had been ruled as dancing non-the-less.

The vice-captains used each other as partners since all of them were up to the task of being die hard partiers for the next several hours. They basked in each others company as they laughed and danced together. Passing each back and forth at a rather rapid pace, until none of them were quiet sure whom they had actually started the dance off with. Needless to say Matsumoto was the ringleader in getting everyone out on the floor. Even Oomaeda tried some of easier steps at a somewhat amusing success rate. They were drunk on the success of the night. Of course, all the lavish attention that was being thrown at them by the regiment members had them all riding on the high of success.

Even as she knew the festivities would last well into the night and Hinamori could already tell she wasn't going to last that long. As her tolerance for large crowds and loud noises still had a long way to go before she would consider herself normal again, but she was improving.

Yet all she had to do was look around and her gloominess was banished as she found herself smiling at one thing or another. Everyone looked fabulous. Matsumoto held everyone's gaze in her bright red kimono and was very obviously relishing it. Hinamori felt a brief moment of awe and jealousy that anyone could look that good and really go to no effort over it. The women had simply put on her fancy kimono, braided her hair loosely and she was off and ready to go.

She reached up and touched her own mess of hair. She was still bemused by the attack squadron that Yachiru had pretended to be in their attempt to tame her hair. Not that they hadn't done a fabulous job. Matsumoto had managed to coil it up into a thick French twist using the barrette that Yachiru had gleefully provided to hold the whole thing up. By now a good portion of loose bits and pieces of hair had worked free of the barrette and had laid to rest around her neck and face. Overall she had decided that she looked rather well. The dancing had put some extra color in her cheeks and thanks to a cup of something Matsumoto had slipped her earlier she was feeling slightly giddy and more prone to smile.

It was almost like old times.

Of course the major attraction for her had been Hitsugaya Toushirou and much to her embarrassment she was quiet sure the entire Gotei 13 knew it.

Unlike the other Captains who had chosen to at least try to put some color into their outfits for the day, Hitsugaya had chosen to go dressed in all black. While the color normally looked fabulous on him in his death god robes while in formal wear he was striking. She was almost sure that Matsumoto had to have helped him pick it out for all that it emphasized the build that he had worked so hard to attain in the last fifty years or so. It was not his normal method of dressing and she just simply couldn't help but stare at him every time her eyes drifted in his direction.

He had broad shoulders that were well muscled from sword practice, which was normally only visible in teasing hints under his captain cloak. On top of that his obviously flat stomach and lean muscles were easily visible thanks his chosen outfit for the evening. And at his entrance a good portion of the female population had immediately worked hard to convince themselves that swooning was only potentially embarrassing and would do them no good. She was hated to admit it but she was one of them.

She had been reduced to mush in a heartbeat and had been forced to take refuge behind a taller girl to hide her furious blush. Only peeking out every now and then convince her self that she wasn't imagining the whole situation. The more she looked the more she wanted to just sit back and watch him. She found herself wishing for one of those image replica things that Rukia had spent so much time trying to explain to her when they had been back with Ichigo. Even if she had not understood what she was saying she was positive that this was a flashy box worthy occasion.

The idea of a tiny square box being able to make an exact image of something and place it on paper with a tiny click of a button was had just been too much for her to comprehend at the time. Tonight however, she would have made an exception and studied it with the same intensity that she did her demon magic. He was more than worthy of such an effort this evening. He was absolutely spectacular.

The body she was using as a shield moved and she felt the urge to flee the second she realized his gaze was sliding in her direction. She froze as their gazes locked together. Icy green met warm brown in a soft challenge. She swallowed and the corners of his lips moved upwards ever so slightly and she instantly felt herself turn red, again, at his slight smirk. Before she could react further someone moved between them. She lost his gaze for the briefest of moments.

It was enough.

She carefully dodged through the crowd all the while mentally thanking Matsumoto for going for the bright red color and telling her how nice the lighter colors looked on her. Her light mint green kimono would not stand out nearly as much as so many of the brightly colored death gods in the room.

But that had been nearly an hour ago and while she had had her fair amount of dances with her friends and one rather fast paced dance with Kira that left her breathless for quiet some time afterwards. She had definitely reached her limit on crowds. She was happy to see that everyone seemed to be having a grand time, however. The captains had let their guard down, well slightly, and seemed to be enjoying themselves as well even though the majority of them were sitting on one side talking amongst themselves.

"Hinamori!"

She turned. "Matsumoto?"

The overly energetic vice-captain literally bounced over to her younger friend. "Some of us are going to go have some drinks and are inviting all the captain and vice-captains, would you like to join us?"

Hinamori shook her head. "No thank you, I was just looking for somewhere quiet for a while, perhaps I could come later?"

Matsumoto smiled in silent recognition of her refusal. They both knew that she would not drink with any of them tonight or perhaps the next night. To much alcohol of any shape, taste, or color, had been unwelcome since Hinamori had realized that excessive drinking made her dream of Aizen.

It was worth the asking however and the grateful smile that Hinamori sent her was all the thanks that she needed before she was off to find her next victim.

Matsumoto, she was so much part of the glue that held together the vice-captains. Even after Gin's betrayal she had worked so hard to ensure everyone was okay. Even now planning a drinking fest between the captains and vice-captains was just her way of keeping everyone together, one way or another. Personally she guessed that celebrations like this always made her think of Gin and that the more she drank the happier she was. Perhaps the dreams seemed more real to her when she could no longer discern what reality was and what wasn't.

Managing to make it through the crowed thanks to her smaller height and ability to slip through areas that taller people just wouldn't have been able to manage, she sneaked into one of the small rooms that had been set aside for people to rest and relax in. Since it was still early in the evening by partying standards she was at least guaranteed an hour or so of time alone. For which she was thankful.

The room had been created for the specific purpose of relaxing after a long night of dancing and drinking as several couches were arranged strategically around the room. Pillows were tossed here and there to invite someone to curl up with one while a large fluffy chair was nestled next to the fireplace. A fire was currently casting a pleasant glow into the room and was inviting one to curl up and sleep. She guessed that the lighting was done in consideration for those who might have already had too much to drink.

She settled into the huge fluffy chair next to the fireplace with a content sigh before turning her attention to the fire. As she let the heat wash over her she felt the muscles in the back of her neck finally start to relax after a long evening of dancing and holding up pretences.

Avoiding Hitsugaya…

That had been the real trick that evening. She couldn't decide if she trusted herself with him. She didn't fear him per se just the reactions that she was no longer able to control.

There had been a couple of moments when he had had almost caught up with her. The first one being when she and a few others had taken a moment to stop their dancing in exchange for a drink while he had been making his way over to them, unbeknownst to her. His height and hair color were an eventual give away when one was looking for him and she had spotted him moments before he had entered their circle just as a shy young man had asked her for a dance. She had of course agreed. Though the nervous way he had smiled had made her wonder exactly what she was missing. Especially when they had been on the dance floor and he kept looking over her shoulder and then promptly tripping over his own two feet. The poor thing just had not been all that well coordinated.

The second time he had approached Yachiru had been loudly declaring she wanted to dance and that her Ken-san was no wear to be found! Upon his arrival she had gleefully pounced on him and asked him to dance with her. She had not taken no for an answer and after a few minutes of badgering she had swept him away from the general area in a fit of high pitched giggles.

She sighed and brought up her hand to cradle her cheek. She really had to stop this. He was Hitsugaya, had been her Shiro-Chan! He would not laugh at her or scorn her for her silly problems, well maybe mock her, but that only because he had the hardest time showing his emotions. She still knew some things about him with a bone deep certainty that had followed them both out of there childhood, and that no matter what she did he would not deliberately hurt her was one of them. Yet it never failed that every time he walked into a room or looked at her something inside of her jumped and clenched, and she panicked. The irrational fear that he would just turn away and leave her like Aizen had was still there, no matter how hard she fought against it.

Not to mention that stupid blush that always appeared when he was near.

It was a wonder that he hadn't guessed her secret yet.

She was falling for Hitsugaya and there was simply nothing she could do about it. Oh how she had tried though. Fought it nail, tooth, and sword tip, but he had prevailed unknowingly against all her struggles and internal battles. She was quiet sure he hadn't a clue as to what he was doing to her.

It had started before he had 'grown up' she knew that. Some short time after she had been in her coma she had started to notice things that she would have rather left alone. When she was so tired of holding on, of fighting through her demons, he would appear and either rescue her from herself with a quick word of sarcasm that seemed to put the whole world back to rights or would simply ask if she wanted to go on a walk. He wouldn't have to say a thing after that just getting her out of the environment that was trapping her would send her demons running back to the shadows.

Other times it was just the thought of him holding her hand when she had woke from her comma and the concern that had shone in his eyes. The ice having melted and moved aside for her and she would suddenly grown warm with a blush would be suddenly be struck by the urge to run for the hills.

Once he had matured things had only gotten worse and part of her was glad that she had already started to push him out of her life and another part continuously slapped her upside the head for just not waiting a little longer because he _had_ grown up and she had missed it. The height had been easier for her to miss. She had been gone on a mission to help Rukia on one thing or another in the living world. They had assigned it to her in the hope that getting her away from Soul Society for a while would help her get a grasp on things. They had sent Rukia with her because she had the most experience in handling living people, and would probably be the one person who could show her how to live with her demons having had to have dealt with more than her own fare share.

The mission had taken longer than anyone had expected and in the end it had been Ichigo who had saved them both. She was still in awe of the sheer power that he contained, but mostly she was amazed by the look of utter contentment and belonging that he would give Rukia when he was sure no one was looking. Not that she wanted Ichigo to look at her like that but just the idea of someone giving her that look of belonging and need had her sighing. Rukia was a very lucky lady.

She had returned, better, still not completely healed but Rukia had done wonders for her in her own way and she helped her move past the part of her that was afraid to trust those from her past, well for the most part. She still had her own demons to fight but she was no longer afraid that anyone she had once called friend was going to destroy her world as thoroughly as Aizen had if she leaned on them once in a while. She had finally started to trust again.

It had taken her several days before she had seen Hitsugaya once she returned. Having pushed so hard against him during those first years of her recovery he had not sought her out on her return and she had not seen him around. The first time she had had seen him had been from a distance and the shock of it had caused her to drop the stack of papers she had been carrying for her Captain. A most embarrassing thing to happen to a vice-captain…

"_Hinamori, would you mind taking these papers to Captain Abarai for me?" _

"_Of course!"_ _Anything to get away from the constant press of her own paperwork which was starting to stifle her it with its monotony for which she blamed the weather outside as it was just to pretty of a day to be indoors doing paperwork._

_And so it was a quick hop to his desk and few steps towards the door and she was free of the constant press of papers and had the sunshine was warmly beating down on her. _

_The walk to Renji's office was not a long one. He being the third division captain after having been chosen to replace Ichimaru Gin and much to most everyone's surprise he had assumed captainship with the full support of Captain Byakuya. _

"_Captain Hitsugaya!"_

_She froze at the name. It had been months since she had seen him, and she wasn't fully aware if he knew she had returned yet or not. A quick glance around was all it took to locate the man who had done the calling as he was running towards another man on the other side of the path she was walking through. _

_She paused her eyes widening, the man she recognized as being one of the new vice-captains. He had dwarfed her during their introduction to each other and yet the person he had just called out to was every bit as tall as he was. Hitsugaya when she had left had most definitely still been as short as her. And yet, her eyes widened and the papers that she had been holding fell from her nerveless fingers. There was absolutely no mistaking that hair or the captain's cloak that hung around his frame._

'_Hitsugaya', she swallowed hard. He had grown, tall, and by the look of it had filled out well since his growth spurt. The knowledge that she needed to pick up her papers and quickly before anyone noticed saved her from her thoughts. And in less time than it took for Ichigo to slay a hollow she had her papers and was on her way. _

_She would have to analyze the rest of it later. _

She smiled wistfully; it had just gone downhill from there. His voice had deepened as well and she could not count the times during the joint captain and vice-captain meetings that she had gotten lost in the sound of his voice and not heard a single thing that had been said.

Then there was the time she had watched him train his division. She had stumbled into it by sheer accident as she was not one who was in a habit of watching the captains train their regiments. Her own training was more than enough for her. Matsumoto had removed her from a dangerous zone more than once, which had prompted all sorts of teasing from the lady. But she hadn't been able to help herself. The play of muscle underneath his robes, the skill in which he directed his men, and the sound of his voice moving throughout the courtyard… it was such a dangerous combination for her and she had fallen under his spell far to easily.

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. She was hopeless.

"Lost in thought again, Hinamori?"

Her head snapped up so fast she felt the room spin for a moment before she met an amused set of ice green eyes. She paused for a moment before managing to pull off a smile. "Hitsugaya-kun," she chirped with all the forced cheerfulness she could manage after the shock of being surprised.

"May I join you?"

"Of course, you know you're always welcome." She said, suddenly thankful she had picked the chair, leaving him the couch or various pillows around the room to settle in.

She jumped a foot and automatically scooted over when instead of taking the nice safe couch or pillows or…

"Are you sure about that Hinamori?" There were so many double meanings in that phrase, but she simply didn't have the skill to read them all. Instead she turned to face him while angling her body to the side and making her gaze as wide and innocent as she could manage.

"Of course I am."

He gave her the slight curl of his lips that he offered as a smile before leaning his head his against the back of the chair. She swallowed and follow suit. Careful to keep her hands carefully in her lap, she hadn't thought the chair would be big enough for the two of them. But besides their shoulders being pushed lightly together, well her shoulder against his arm, and their legs slightly touching there was plenty of room for both of them.

"Are you enjoying the evening?" he questioned, causing her to shift slightly so she could try to read his expression. It was calm as with everyone else he did not give away what he was truly feeling. She doubted he was feeling anything out of the ordinary anyway.

"Yes, it has been quiet fun. Matsumoto did a wonderful job with the decorations didn't she?"

He nodded, "I am just glad it was finished before she drove the rest of all crazy with her questions on color schemes and on this and that and then her refusal to explain why she needed to know."

She grinned. "She was rather instant on it wasn't she?" Apparently she had not been the only victim to be jumped for answers. As the female death god had gone around in a flutter for the two weeks she had had to figure out a theme and designs to create the desired affects. She had done a magnificent job and she would be surprised if she wasn't suddenly getting requests to do more parties.

The scowl that slid across his face had her lips twitching upwards before she looked away. She peeked over at him only to discover him watching her reaction with an intensity that was normally reserved for whoever found themselves on the wrong side of Hyournimaru. She tried, she honestly did, but she couldn't stop the fierce blush that promptly worked its way up her cheeks at his obvious inspection. She looked away.

The next thing she knew and his fingers were slowly twinning through hers and she found herself staring at their hands in some sort of fixed fascination.

His hands were so much larger than hers. Callused long slender fingers that obviously gave him his ability to master his sword so well curled around her own smaller fingers, while the palm of his hand fit against hers neatly. She could so easily see the strength that lay deceptively in his hands. For within them was the ability to control Hyournimaru with an unmatched ruthless efficiency and yet his hand cradled hers within the safety of his own with a gentleness that was so uncharacteristic of him.

She swallowed….

"You look wonderful tonight, Hinamori."

She paused in her inspection of his hands and looked up almost shyly. "Thank you," she paused and took a deep breath before plunging on, "You look quite dashing yourself."

That small arch of his lips…

"Hitsugaya…" She said, her voice betraying her nervousness in the husky whisper that she had no control of.

Something slid across his eyes, something that was to fast for her to catch or recognize as they held each others gaze for several moments. She was more than slightly un-nerved by his the obvious close inspection and had just worked up enough guts to ask if something was wrong, when he spoke.

"Don't you think its time that you stop running from me?" His voice was a gentle croon against her quickly fraying nerves. It was as if he was afraid that if he spoke to loudly he would break whatever spell it was that had seated in the chair next to him. He brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss to the bare skin he found there.

Her breath caught in the back of her throat at the look in his eyes. His shields were down, she realized, helplessly caught in his gaze as the sheer amount of emotion shinning out from behind his normally ice covered eyes drew her faster than any moth to a flame, effortlessly holding her in place.

Nor could she stop the flush that worked its way up from her toes and up into her cheeks at the feel of his lips on the back of her hand. "I… I…" she swallowed hard. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah well then," his voice was a soft caress against her hand. "Will you let me explain?"

"Ex…plain?" she whispered, her voice every bit as soft as his. She was helpless to break the spell that he was weaving over her.

He reached up with his free hand and released the barrette that had been holding her hair up sending it cascading past her shoulders and around her face. Her eyes widened as he gently buried his free hand in the dark silk.

"Hitsu…gaya?"

He smiled then, and she felt her breath catch at the sight of it, completely unguarded and open. Something sparked in her then and just like that the remaining desire to flee was gone. "You should wear your hair down more." He murmured as his gaze traveled across the dark expanse of her now free hair. She watched as his eyes traced the planes of her face back across her flushed cheeks before his gaze came to finally rest on her mouth.

She blinked. _'He is going to kiss me!'_ It was almost an afterthought with everything else that was currently rushing through her already overworked mind. But now that the thought had penetrated the rush of her thoughts she was surer of that knowledge than she was her soul cutters name. The gentle brush of his thumb against her cheek brought her out of her internal thoughts. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments before opening them and looking up at him in wonder. He wanted to kiss her… that revelation took a moment to move past before her brain kicked into gear and almost as if she had no control of such things anymore, she _looked _at him.

And for the first time in quite a long time, Hinamori watched him in unabashed admiration. He had to be the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He had been darling as a child but the man he had grown into left her feeling breathless every time she gazed at him. And right now he was watching her with a soft intensity that sent her heartbeat into overdrive and stole the breath from her lungs.

He wanted to kiss her! And if she had had any ability to read him before it was quite obvious to her that if she didn't move right then he was going to, and yet, she could no more have left him and whatever it was he was offering her at that moment, than she could have forsaken her calling as a Death God.

That unrecognizable emotion flitted across his eyes once more before he smiled. And at that moment she knew she was lost. There would be no redemption for Hinamori Momo, not from this spell that he was weaving over her, not now, not ever.

"Momo," he whispered, and she could only watch in fascination as his hand released hers in favor of moving up and gently sliding across her cheek. Then he was tilting her head upwards and she watched as he slowly bent forward as if he was savoring the moment. She closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss, the feel of his soft lips on her own. Her hands move forward of there own occurred to gently grasp the soft material she found there. It was only then that she realized she was trembling…

"Captain Hitsugaya?"

Hinamori's eyes flashed open in a mixture of shock and surprise and Hitsugaya froze his lips so close to her own that his breath was fanning gently across her face. She was still caught up in the spell he had been weaving over her senses and it was not until he spoke that she realized just who it had been who had interrupted them. 

"Matsumoto," he growled his voice lowering in its intensity, no longer the gentle croon he had been using on her.

Hinamori took a deep breath and turned her head to where the woman was standing, her eyes wide with surprise, and some mother emotion she couldn't read. She risked a glance at Hitsugaya and just as suddenly his mask of ice was back up and he was giving his vice-captain the glare he had long ago patented.

And just like that the spell was broken and Hinamori realized where she was and what she was doing. _She had almost kissed him!_ That was all it took for her to scoot backwards and whisper a soft apology her face flaming with embarrassment. His head snapped back in her direction but it was to late, she had descended into panic mode and was up and moving before he had time to react.

She was positive she was turning purple with embarrassment as she brushed past Matsumoto, who whispered her own apology, and then she was in the hallway. She heard the door click on Matsumoto's soft voice and the growling reply before she was safely out of earshot.

It took her very little time to find an escape route outside and into the cool night air. She was very much thankful for the breeze that suddenly sprang up because she needed the cool air on her cheek to calm her blush.

She covered her face with her hands and sighed, he had…she had… they had almost _kissed!_ And she was going to let him! A fine tremble moved throughout her frame and she shivered. She couldn't decide if she could consider it a good thing or not as her thoughts were in to much of a jumble to completely catch them and then identify.

She swallowed.

His lips had been so close. She could still feel the warmth of his breath against her lips, the sensation of his hand buried in her hair and sliding gently along her cheek. Her own hand moved up to cradle the cheek automatically. She paused, only then realizing that the hairdo that Matsumoto had managed to coax out of her hair was in total disarray around her shoulders with her clip no where in sight. Which meant that Hitsugaya had to have it; which meant returning home before she could pull her hair up and out of her face.

She sighed. So much for all that time and effort put into her appearance as soon as one thought was completed her brain was snapping back to the almost kiss of their own accord and she could feel the hot blush rise up in her cheeks again.

She was going to blushing about this for a month!

Not to mention she was positive that her dreams were going to be filled with soft words and gentle touches. She groaned and covered her burning cheeks with both hands.

'_You really are a lost cause Hinamori!'_ She told herself, but even then she couldn't stop the small smile worked its way up to shine softly into the cool night air.

Chiba Hits-chan growls and pulls out Hyournimaru and starts beating Matsumoto over the head with it, "STUPID MATSUMOTO! Two months of paperwork and cleaning duties for you!"

Chiba Matsumoto ducks and covers her head with her arms before wailing, "I am sorry captain I didn't realize you were going to try to kiss her!"

More scowling and hitting, "You're educated, constantly tipsy, and a perverted women! Use you're BRAIN!" He calmly places Hyournimaru back on his back and continues to glare at her, "three months paper work or until you can redeem yourself."

"CAPTAIN!" Chiba Matsumoto wails, only to be meat with stoic silence, and eyebrow twitching from her captain.

Review Response!

heheangel kisses – thank you! And actually, the tone of each chapter will vary slightly because Hinamori is going to be going through different stages in each chapter. I hope they all link up well, but I cant see her just going through it all with the same out look, and while I hope they all link up and make sense I try to incorporate the ever changing view of Hinamori into each chapter.

As for Hitsugaya, he was most definitely affected by what happened to her. A little bit differently than she thinks, but I am glad that was able to be picked up! Ya! And Yachiru is one of my favorite characters, the Anime episode had me cheering because she is in it so much more!

And here the bright shiny, new chapter! I hope you like it!

Lunamet – Ooo I like reviews! Thanks, though I figured 15 was a good number actually, but thanks!

I like a whole bunch of the characters (big Matsumoto/Gin fan actually) and I try to incorporate different people into the story, because a) they add depth and b) there so much fun! And I hope this chapter is enjoyed just as much as the last one.

Een nihc – thank you! Hitsugaya is doing what he can, but she has been rather resistant to the whole idea!

Kevin – thank you.

Waterlilly - hands you tissue oh don't cry! But I am really glad you like it!

anGeL Hinaningyou – Here is your ball dearie! I hope you like it! And blush thanks!

Stacie - salutes updated!

Gina – Things definitely moved along in this chapter, and hopefully in the next one as well eyes her muse chapter four is currently 12 pages long and I am not completely done with it yet sheepish looking like its going to be a long one… and you should hear me babble sometimes, rather embarrassing. Thank you SO much for reviewing, again!

km – I didn't mean to miss you last time! I had already updated when your review popped up! So thank you very much, and I hope have enjoyed the last two chapters!


	4. Chapter Four

**Author:** Davan  
**Title**: The Wooing of Hinamori Momo  
**Chapter**: Four  
**Warnings**: Spoilers...

_Author Rambling: _Okay, I am sorry that this chapter took so long. In fact the bad news is that the next one could take longer, feasible speaking of course. I am a afraid that I am neck up in homework and papers and STUFF. That and this weekends sole interst is the OU/TEXAS game, so I aplogize, I won't be in much a writing mood. The good news is I KNOW what I want in the next chapter, it just might take me a while to beat it out.

One _maybe_ two chapters left.

Sixteen pages of goodness at for your reading pleasure...

Hinamori was day dreaming _again. _In the long run of things this she knew she was being very irresponsible as she was supposed to be doing paper work. She just wasn't couldn't seem to help herself. She forcible ignored the urge to doodle on what she was sure was a very important piece of paper. A casual peek at her captain assured her that he was engrossed in his own paperwork and would not see her own lack of effort.

She sighed, her gaze moving towards the window outside, it was almost time to leave, all she had to do was make it through another five minutes. A quick scan of her paper work to double check everything and she was nodding in satisfaction. She only had one paper to review and sign before she could quit for the day. She still had a nice stack of paperwork, but she had sorted it out and figured out what was due today and what could wait for tomorrow. She peeked at her captain again. He was still doing his paperwork.

Another glance. Another pause. Another sigh.

He looked up then, and catching her expression he smiled, even as he glanced out the window. "All right Hinamori, you can go."

She wasted no time in standing, "Thank you Captain, do you need anything else?"

He waved her off, "get going before you drive me to distraction with your sighs and constant glances out the window."

She bobbed her head. That was really all the excuse that she needed to clean up her desk, settle the papers neatly into their stacks… and then dart towards the door and outside. The sun was still warm on her tired eyes, the hours spent working on paperwork always managed to wear her down. But the sun was warm on her face, and the paperwork was at a standstill; she was free to go home. Perhaps make herself a nice cup of tea. The tea sounded wonderful and maybe a sandwich. The idea of having a full and warm tummy helped to sooth her frayed nerves after a long day behind a boring desk.

Some ten minutes later she was contently snuggled under a blanket, settled at her window, and prepared to watch Soul Society settle for the evening. The view was one of the many perks to being a Vice-Captain. The outside courtyard was beautiful, and her favorite evening activity was to sit and watch everyone wrapped up t here daily activities and headed home.

Dusk was such a beautiful time of the day, and one of her favorites. Soul Society was settling down, the sun was setting, and it was easy to distract herself from all the thoughts that had been crowding in her head all day long. Her Captain had long ago expressed his wish to do his evening rounds alone, she being his subordinate, had gleefully bowed to his wishes.

Hinamori had and was easily plagued by her thoughts. Her mind ran, most days, in a continuous litany that she had little control over. For most of the day she had been distracted, and had she been questioned, would have been forced to confess to her lack of concentration. Day dreaming of Hitsugaya… Her mind had been on overload since that night, and had followed the normal patterns: over analyzing. She had ripped apart every movement, every word, and during the two weeks since the event she had been on recon. She _had_ managed to push it out of her brain however; for short periods of time. While staring outside her mind had gone to the longing for the warmth on her face instead of the warmth in his eyes. .

Once or twice she had pretended that Shiro-chan was with her on that old front porch, eating watermelons. That had brought up other memories and the knowledge that her choices might have driven him so far away that perhaps, even now, some things were beyond recall.

There were many things that Hinamori Momo regretted. Some things were far worse than others. For example, she regretted the trust that she placed so fully in her beloved captain Aizen. She regretted not being able to see past the carefully placed illusions that he had settled across her eyes; she had been his willing victim who had only wanted to see the best in her Captain. In return for that faithfulness she had been gutted by the edge of his sword. Past that defining moment, there were only one or two things she regretted more. Pitting Tobiume against her best friend was the worst.

The night she had asked Hitsugaya to leave her life…

That moment was probably in its own class of mistakes, of regret, the self-loathing almost unmatchable; sinking so far into the depths of her that she had never been able to remove its claws. To redeem herself and to wash it from her soul. She felt as if she could never be clean again nor did she ever look herself in the eyes and find herself clean of the expression he had given her then. Pain, misunderstanding, confusion, and anger had all been rolled into one look, one moment that had sent her world into a frothing collision of emotions; hatred of herself so deep she was still searching for the thread to lead her from the maze.

She had never really understood how precious their friendship was, how close she had held it to her, until she had soiled it; first with the tip of Tobiume then with words that she had deliberately let fall into the silence between them. She had stolen innocence from something that had been sacred to them both. He _had let her._

"_You can't keep doing this to yourself." She softly whispered as he paused just beyond the edge of her vision. She had not heard him come in, but it was obvious to her small world that he had entered her domain; it had changed. It always changed when he was around her. _

"_I can't keep doing what?" There were no pretenses here, not between them, not _now_. Not when the marks of Aizen's blade were still visible in angry lines down both their bodies; not when she was still trapped by a depression that he could not dissipate. _

_Not when she was still contemplating leaving Soul Society for the duration of her life. _

"_Coming here, it's not good for you." Her words were spoken deliberately, softly, in order to convey the message that hung between them._

_He sat then, behind her; where she could not see his expression. He couldn't see hers either, she realized. An even playing field, that was good, she was going to need it. She had started to make decisions about things earlier that evening. Some of them she didn't like but her over worked brain had insisted and she had found that she could not fight the impulses. The burning drive, the need to ensure that the remaining bits of her heart could not be smashed. That the pieces of her soul would be given the time they would need to piece themselves together. _

_She would not be dependent on anyone neither could she allow someone to be dependent on her. _

_Unfortunately, this meant Hitsugaya.. _

"_It is my choice." His words were simple, composed, and spoken with an ease born through years of practice. Yet, she could his hesitancy, feel the caution that was radiating from him._

"_You are only hurting yourself Captain Hitsugaya."_

_She felt him flinch even as she mentally banished the tears that tried to pool with her acknowledgment of the blow she had just dealt him. She could not, would not, be weak on this. She had to make him see, had to make him understand. _

_She had done nothing but bring him pain, _she_ had threatened his life, and then in the end of all things, after _her_ betrayal against herself, beyond _her_ own discovery of Aizen's betrayal, she had come to close to loosing Hitsugaya._

_Her death she could understand, what more did she deserve? Not after the way she had handled everything, the treachery against herself, her beliefs, against Hitsugaya. She was still unsure how her own foolishness had not brought down a swifter punishment; she deserved it. Yet for him to come so close to dieing for her, to lose that control that he had so carefully honed. It was a blight on her soul that she would not accept. Better to break them both now than loose him to her stupidity later. _

"_It will always be my choice Hinamori." His tone was deceptively quiet. She shuddered with force of the emotions that were coursing through her small frame. _

"_And if I ask you to leave me here? If I ask you to go and to never walk back through those doors again; to let me face my demons and this nightmare that I _brought upon myself! _What then? For that would be _my_ choice." She was panting with the effort to rid herself of the words, to free her self from the anger and the pain that had built up in her over the course of the day. _

_The room was thick with the silence between them but all she registered was the frantic beating of her heart. So much of her wanted him to refuse the logic of what she was saying, for him to tell her she was being foolish, that there was nothing she could say or do to make him leave her life. That _he_ would _always be there.

_Yet, this was not the first conversation of this nature that they had had. She had already wounded him with her admittance that she had fallen for Aizen. That she didn't think she could love another, she had seen felt the way he had recoiled from her. She didn't have to look to know, the way his eyes had shuttered closed with a thick icy layer. A layer drawn so tightly drawn over vulnerable emotions that even she could not penetrate, she had not understood it, but she could sense it all the same... _

_Had used the way he had never had to work for anything in his life as a weapon. That he could not understand where she was coming from because he had not walked the road she had. School for him had been such an easy feat. He had barely paid attention in class, where she had struggled and worked so hard to accomplish her goal, he had merrily strolled through; ever holding his shield of ice forward. She had been intimidated by this new person; until he had opened his mouth then he had been her Shiro-chan. It had been another illusion to fool herself with._

_Bankai was something every Death God struggled with, yet he had complete his training at an amazing rate. He had achieved it so easily, she had been jealous. She would never have told him, never to the sin that stained her soul. He was an enigma, a genius, and she had never seen it coming. She who had bandaged his torn knees, kissed away his bruises, and told him grand tales of lands that both of them had known were never real. He had been _her_ Shiro-chan and she had lost him to a sword and a Captain's cloak long ago. This would be no different, years of fondness were diluted by the ever creeping knowledge that sooner or later he would realize that he didn't need her, and then he to would leave; because she was too stained to hold him..._

_A moment such as this had been long overdue in coming and she was once again helpless to change anything. _

"_So you want me to walk out, to leave you here, to fight Aizen's memory, alone." His voice was flat, raw, and it echoed from somewhere inside him. She ducked her head in shame. He had done so much for her, even as far as to place her life above his own, and the only way she could repay him was to send him forward without her. _

_She was hurting him, and everything in her cried out against it. He was Shiro-chan, someone she had loved as a brother and called friend her entire life. And here she was pushing him away, protecting him the only way she could. The knowledge was not a balm to her aching heart, if anything it shattered further, pieces gathering to block her ability to breathe. _

"_Yes," it was choked out, and with one simple word, she did something that would haunt her footsteps as a hollow hunted the unsuspecting. She ruthlessly slammed the door between them._

_Hesitation, a long pained silence, and something else she didn't understand twisted in the air around them. He shifted and she turned to meet his gaze. What she saw stole her breath: anger, pain, betrayal, and sorrow. They clashed to hide whatever else he was so desperately trying to show her through his eyes. It was an acknowledgement, an understanding for the depth of her words; of the part of her that no longer existed. Before she could fully read into what he was feeling and thinking, what he was reading in her own devastated gaze, the shield of ice slid neatly into place. _

_He nodded, once. There would be no arguments, she realized, her heart heavy with the truth, which she had brought upon herself. She was ruining something precious. He would follow her wish; he would leave her here, to face her own demons. That should have made her happy, her goal had been met, and she had finally won; he would be safe. So why was she suddenly struck with the urge to cry out? For him to never leave her, that she didn't want be alone. _

_She would not, could not, give into that impulse. _

"_As you wish," simple words, accompanied the equally simple action of him standing and walking to the door. He paused before turning towards her, and she felt her breath catch for the briefest of moments in both confusion and wonder, "for now." _

_Then he was gone. The ominous sound of the door sliding closed sealed her fate. It was for the best, she told herself stubbornly. She would only hurt him more if he stayed close to her. Would only fall prey to the same depression that hung so tightly around her these days, she would never be the girl he knew again, she wasn't even sure if she could live with the person she had become. He would become a target for Aizen when he returned to finish what he had started. She would not let him fall because of her._

_Slowly the room cleared of his presence, and just as slowly she moved back into her original position, starring at the wall, eyes blank, though her mind was no longer calm. Only when all was settled and she could no longer feel any presence near her, when the bells outside chimed with knowledge of the late hour, only then did she cry._

That night still haunted them both. It was in the lingering tension in there silences where there had once been camaraderie. It was the hesitancy she had no control over, in the careful dictation of his words when he talked. Even now when she had finally opened her eyes to a truth she had not considered, to the tantalizing butterflies in her tummy; this new light he was shinning with in her life confused her. He was no longer the child she had held so dear and neither was she impervious to his charms as a man. Every time she turned, he was there; a casual glance and there he would be; before something strange would flit over his features. She would turn away; fighting the sorrow that filled her even as she reminded herself what she had done was for the best.

Even now with the memory of his almost-kiss lingering on the horizon of her memories, ready to be recalled at the slightest provocation, she was unsure of how to proceed. What action to take and how she felt about it.

She knew how she felt about him. There was no doubt in her feelings towards Hitsugaya Toushirou. It had been difficult, at first, to understand, to grasp the knowledge that had lingered so slightly out of reach. It had taken a walk out to the practice field just south of the city, a calming practice she had taken up during her recovery. The walk in the sunshine to her secret place brought her a sense of peace. While she was out and about she would talk to Tobiume. After all Tobiume was as real as she and the one part of her that was never unsure as the steps she would take. The important thing was that it gave her something to talk to.

One day she had been discussing Hitsugaya. She had long ago admitted to herself that she was attracted to him, that not watching him was impossible and that she had noticed too many things about him to pull off the bland expression she needed to survive. That no matter whatever _this_ was she would give everything to keep him safe. She had been winding down when it had hit her with the same clarity Tobiume's name had so long ago.

She had fallen in love with him.

Mentally and physically she had reeled against the blow. It was like being punched in the stomach, her breath suddenly coming in short gasps. Several long moments later, she had simply sat down and stared at Tobiume, the truth of her thoughts giving her a sense of liberation. Had filled her with dread.

For with all revelations came knowledge and it terrified her. She had always loved him. He was her best friend, the person who had gotten her through her darkest days; he had stuck by her, watched her back, and followed her into the school of Death Gods. It had never been this, never the knowledge that his smile would cause her to do anything for him; the fascination of every aspect: from his mannerisms, the way he hid from the world, the desire to _know_ him.

She had discovered need. The second revelation: she needed him. That knowledge had stung, because she had worked so hard to not need anyone. She was Hinamori Momo and that was enough. Because of that, no one should need her either. It was a promise, given to herself. She had needed Aizen, needed his words and his smile, the praise, and she would never travel that path again. She would become a loner, even with her friends. She was happy with them, cold function with people smiling and laughing with her, but she kept something back. She could never rely on someone as heavily as she had on Aizen. It had been a bitter pill to swallow.

It stung her pride, her conscious, and part of her rebelled; yet, it soothed, and eventually the part of her that hated it, caved. She had struggled with the bittersweet knowledge. She _needed_ his touch, _needed _his smile, _needed _his unfailing self-assured mannerisms; just as she needed his gentle words, soft glances, and reassurances that she had for so long denied herself.

No, it had never been like this. The moment she had realized it, that she would sell her soul to keep him safe, she had known that she loved him. It had hummed through her veins, an intoxicating knowledge that would not leave. She lived for the moments she spent with him, for the softness in his eyes rarely shown, for the gentleness in his touch as he handed her a report, or placed a hand on her shoulder. She lived for the day that would never come, when all could be set aside and she could finally tell him the truth.

It had been embarrassment that had sent her fleeing from the room they had occupied that night. She would never have escaped the web he had weaved so gently around her otherwise. She was positive even her bones were aware of this knowledge. Even now it haunted her: his touch, the look in his eyes. All she had to do was close her eyes and she was there, it was as vivid in her mind as ever Aizen's betrayal had been.

And while she had come to accept this knowledge, while she knew she would have to live with it, learn to deal with it; she was terrified. She was petrified of this new emotion, of this all encompassing need, and the knowledge that she depended on him. She would not say she was his, but everything in her cried out that it would not take much for her to be so. For now, she held onto her control, she held onto the shields and the walls that had gotten her through the decades. Held in a clenched fist the iron desperation as she worked to fix the chinks and cracks that were rapidly appearing in her armor; slowly leaving her bare to his eyes.

She needed time to think. Time to reorganize; he had surprised her with his blatant move during the ball. She had not been expecting it, with perfect hindsight she was able to recognize that he had given her all the signs she had needed: appearing more often, dropping casual words, accepting her invitation to tea. Even if the tea had been cancelled due to due to a fight that broke out in his division, he had _accepted_.

She was also able to understand that he had been seeking her earnestly during the ball. She had thought that perhaps it was her own fascination with him that ensured that she saw him constantly, but now she wondered if perhaps as she had been dodging him and the people around her if he had not been trying to communicate something else entirely with her.

Those two dances he had tried to win left her wondering what information she would have gleamed from such an encounter. Would he have asked her to meet him somewhere later to talk? Would he simply have danced and never said anything, leading her through time honored steps, just to watch her reaction? She didn't know, she couldn't know, because what had happened had been completely unexpected.

He had known she would flee, she could see it in the maneuvering he had used on her when they had been alone. He was a skilled handler of people and she had fallen neatly into the steps he had set before her. By sitting next to her he had offered her a chance to bolt, and when she stayed, he had ensured a closed escape route. Idle conversation had relaxed her guard; by taking her hand he had made it impossible for her to run. The soft tone of voice had coaxed her into his world, sucked her into a discussion she had no intention of having.

The removing of her hair barrette would leave her feeling vulnerable, ensure that her shields would crack, small chinks emerging that he could exploit. Her hair up and out of her face was a shield, it helped her hide the woman she was from the world by giving her a child-like quality that some still would not look past. When he had settled his hand into the thick of her hair he had distracted her; by smiling and letting her see the emotion he so carefully kept from everyone, he had enthralled her.

Even at her best, even if she had been forewarned, she was not completely sure if she could have avoided that moment. He had years of knowledge to play against her, and she had worked so carefully to keep him out of her life that it now seemed she had done her work too well. He had a very real advantage he could exploit if that was his goal.

She didn't really know what his goal was. After days of pondering and confusion, she wasn't even sure how she felt about the fact that he had almost kissed her. Once the initial embarrassment had slid though her system, once she had been able to repress the urge to turn red, she had started to analyze everything; only to come to the same conclusion over and over again.

She didn't understand _why_.

It was just too much for her to hope. She had long ago rejected the idea that he would want something more. She had settled her shields neatly into place hidden that part of herself from the world. She had learned how to live without him; had taught herself to no longer think of him every day; now he pulled something like this.

She would need to observe her own emotions and thoughts to understand what was going on. It was a basic death god principle; you must know yourself before you knowing anything else.

She needed to research.

She would not think beyond herself, would push the traitorous hopes away from her. She would take time to sit back and relax; he had not given her anything to worry about. In the last week he had not once mentioned their meeting outside the ball. There was no awkwardness in his step or hesitancy in his movements. In fact he was so good at this that she had almost convinced herself that she had imaged it.

She settled the blanket closer around her shoulders. The sun had fallen to the darkness for another day. She smiled and rested her head against the cool glass, her breath forming small patches of mist on the glass. It had all been going so well, she mused. Her plan had fallen together, she had been able to gather information, but this past week had been full of much more than just information she could use to start to understand what was going on. She had discovered strange little inconsistencies that had only reveled themselves to her hindsight.

Yet it had been Kira who had provided the warning that had made her wonder if things were really going in the direction she thought that they were. Her recon work it seemed was not as honed as it should have been.

They had been eating lunch together when he had mentioned that Captain Hitsugaya had been hanging around her quiet often lately, and he was curious, had something happened? There had been an almost smile quirking his lips, and a delicate quirk to his brow that insinuated so much more. She had denied it of course, had even glared at him, only to receive a laugh for he was only 'teasing' her.

She had laughed it off as well. Later, when she had been alone, she had wondered if there hadn't been something more to his question.

She quickly redoubled her recon efforts. She had realized several things quickly.

Hitsugaya was a captain. And at being Captain class meant being sneaky in broad daylight. It was disturbing. Especially since Kira had noticed, he was a great friend of course. Once she had gotten over how easily manipulated he had been by Ichimaru. It was no different to how Aizen had played her; just different.

So how long had this been going on?

She doubted that she would be able to place it to a time frame. But careful observation of her surroundings and notes from years of working around the politics of the Gotei 13 had told a story. A story that she wasn't quiet sure she wanted to read.

Kira's observations had not been that far off the marker.

Flashes of silver and tiny bits of white where there wasn't supposed to be _any_. She had decided she was either being stalked by the entire Gotei 13. Or Hitsugaya had a lot of time on his hands.

That was not her only disturbing revelation. Notes that had been later reviewed and studied and reveled their truth: Matsumoto was working for the wrong side. The woman had started casually asking her questions, questions that were just not like her. A little bit too much interest in her personal life for her taste.

_She jumped a foot as they tray slapped against the table in front of her. The annoyed blond woman slid into the chair with a disgruntled look, a pout sliding across expressive features. _

"_Today is the worst day ever," she informed her as she picked up an apple off her tray and biting into it viciously. Hinamori got the impression that she was imagining something else as she glared at it._

"_Uh, are you okay?" she questioned, hesitantly. When Matsumoto got like this, there was no telling who she was mad at. _

"_It never stops!" The girl muttered, completely ignoring her. "I didn't even get my nap, and what does he do? He sits there and he glowers, and makes sure that I go over every piece of paper at least twice…" her hand twitched around the apple she was holding. "And then he makes me deliver every last one… and then it starts all over again…" more twitching, and glaring at the apple._

_Hinamori went back to eating her own lunch. Deciding it was a wise course of action to give her space. Just in case she decided an innocent bystander was a better target than the apple. _

_She decided it would be wise to intervene when she grabbed her fork and repeatedly stabbed the apple. In fact, she wasn't sure what the fruit had done to deserve such a violent act but even Yachiru, who had happily been approaching their table, had looked concerned and veered off to go find some other victim to sit with. _

"_Matsumoto!" _

_The girl looked up. "What?" She pulled an innocent mask over hear face and Hinamori sighed._

"_I am not falling for it, what is wrong?"_

"_I am not at liberty to speak about it." She said after several moments of careful deliberation. _

_She felt her brows rise up in surprise. "You're not at liberty to speak of it?"_

"_No," the tone was mutinous. _

_She rolled her eyes. "Then why are you sitting in front of me desecrating an innocent apple, and muttering if you're not at liberty to speak of it?"_

_Matsumoto blinked. "I wasn't muttering."_

"_You were most definitely muttering."_

"_I don't mutter."_

"_You were."_

"_Couldn't have been because I never mutter!"_

_She grunted, "I assure you, you were muttering."_

_Matsumoto paused again. "All right, but I wasn't muttering."_

_She let her head plop onto the table with a groan._

"_So what are you doing tonight Hinamori?"_

_She looked up, "uh?"_

"_Very simple question, are you going out with someone, perhaps for a drink? Are you eating dinner with a friend? What are you doing tonight?"_

"_Making tea, and going to bed, why?"_

"_Oh? Would you like to come over to my place? I am, um, having friends over." _

_Hinamori paused at her tone. "No thanks."_

"_You sure?"_

"_Yes."_

_Disappointment flashed across her features. "All right."_

As strange as that conversation had been they had had several more like it. Each time the girl asked what she was doing that day. Then she would invite her over to do something with 'friends.' It had become such a habit in their conversations that Hinamori herself had starting to become suspicious. A little spying and then paying Yachiru to follow her one night had reveled several things.

The most important was who these 'friends' were. The fact that they came in the tall blond variety had gotten her thinking. Matsumoto had been a shoulder to cry on more than once. But if it came down to it she would most likely side with her captain. If she would go against Ichimaru why not Hinamori? The knowledge had made her blood run cold. Matsumoto knew far too many things about her own personal preferences. Matsumoto had been her confident, her ally, and her friend. Still she was sure that she was now helping Hitsugaya. That made her nervous. Because she wasn't sure what she was hoping to accomplish.

So she did what she had learned to do best in the last several decades. Hinamori Momo went on full defensive mode and ignored them both to the best of her ability.

What she had not reckoned on was that once two blonds, of varying shades, put their heads together she in over her head.

She had been casually sharing a meal with Yachiru. Who had informed her that her Ken-San was busy playing without her, and could she ever so nicely eat lunch with her? It was beyond her to refuse the girl anything when she looked that mournful. Besides she was rather certain that her Ken-sans disappearance had more to do with a certain healer, than him going to off to play without Yachiru. She would never tell the small girl that, however.

Of course, she had not expected to look up from her meal laughing at something Yachiru had been telling her to find him watching her. Settled against one of the walls in the common room with that infuriating smirk plastered in place; for the first time his normal mannerisms did not reassure her. Instead the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Yachiru had drawn her attention a few seconds after that with a loud declaration that it simply was not FAIR she wanted to go cutting as well. When she had gained enough of a reprieve from the girl to look up, he had been gone. Before she could wonder someone jostled her from behind and she yelped with surprise. Yachiru grabbing an apple off her plate and threw it at the person with a loud 'watch what your doing!" Loud enough to make her ear drums ring.

It had been a very long time since she had been knocked around and by the time she had finally collected her thoughts and her hearing was no longer ringing with Yachiru's shout whoever it was had left. It was the sight of a small pink flower on her plate caused her more than a moment's confusion, however.

It was a rather delicate looking flower with small gentle petals moving out in a rather pretty pink. Yachiru, of course, had promptly displayed a rather excited air and asked if perhaps she could have the beautiful flower.

The small pout and wide eyes had her nodding. Yachiru was always rather excited about anything pink. She was also rather irresistible when she took on that particular pleading expression. The wide beaming smile had been more than worth the relinquishing of the flower. She did wonder who had pushed her however. She didn't think that looking for someone with an apple sized knot on their head was going to be very productive.

She had more important things to worry about, anyway, namely Hitsugaya.

Like yesterday when he had invited her to tea…

"_Hinamori," she had been surprised at his sudden approach. She was delivering paperwork to the 13th Division captain, __Ukitate Jyuushiro__, and while she had to pass his division she had not expected to see him. _

"_Hello," she said not able to hide the surprise in her tone. The hated blush, for once was not present. _

"_Are you busy today?" His tone caught her off guard and she looked up. He wore a serious expression that made her nervous. "There are some things that I would like to discuss with you, perhaps over tea this afternoon?"_

_He was doing it again, drawing her in with the sound of his voice. But she was gaining ground in her ability to read him fort she could see the expression in his eyes. It made her nervous. _

"_I am afraid that I promised my Captain that I would take the brunt of the paperwork today since he was rather generous in taking a good portion of my own during the planning of the party." Never had she been so relieved to be overloaded with work. _

_He nodded, "Another time perhaps?" his expression never changing from 'normal'. For he was cool, calm, his expression giving nothing away all the while he held himself upright with the same casual arrogance she had come to recognize. This was not the Hitsugaya he had shown her and yet there was a certain gleam in his yes that had not been there before. _

"_Of course," He had moved off then, back to wherever he had been before he had interrupted her walk. She wondered if perhaps if she had once again missed a more subtle message._

There had been small subtle hints in his words that she had not been able to decode. She was not a dense person. In fact she considered herself rather intelligent. But she could not work pass the walls of self-doubt and loathing that she had placed around herself long enough to understand what was going on. She had been to long out of the loop, had cut herself off from the subtle politics of Soul Society. It seemed that she was about to get a crash course in understanding how to operate with no information and decode unspoken messages.

She wasn't quite certain if she would make it through the experience intact. Hitsugaya was an adept player. Even when he had first arrived he had taken to the world of meanings hidden behind words, and things that were never said, as if he always known them.

That wasn't what worried her. In time she was confident she would be able understand the hidden meaning in his words. Understanding, after all came with patience and time, both of which she had. No it was the other signals and messages that he was passing along that left her uncomfortable and uncertain.

Such as the day she had taken a report to him for her captain. Instead of just having her drop it on his desk like normal, which had oddly enough been clear of paperwork, he had taken it from her himself. His fingers brushed along hers a moment longer than had been necessary.

And then there was the time he had slid past her in a crowded path. Knuckles had gently brushed against her cheek for the briefest of moments. Fast enough that she had not seen the move. When she had whipped around in shock all she had gotten for her efforts was amused glances from everyone else in the corridor as he moved through the crowd.

The worst part was the flowers. Which she was not quite sure were coming from him but she couldn't think of anyone else who would go to the trouble.

Small pink flowers would show up in the most unlikely of places. In her desk when she was working on her paperwork, when she was positive that there had been nothing there before. When she delivered paperwork to him she would often reach into the pocket on her robes she would find them. Once on her pillow when she returned home. It had happened enough at work that her Captain was asking if she had a secret admirer he should know about.

If she had not known better she would have sworn that she was being stalked.

She would have believed that she was imagining the whole thing expect for when she would turn to him questions in her eyes, his would answer with the melting of the ice he shielded himself with; soft gentle looks or even more so, the appraising ones that would force a blush to her cheeks at his expression. And still no attempt to discuss the night of the ball.

It would have been so much easier if she could just work up enough nerve to ask him what was going on. From the amused glances she was receiving from him and the inquisitive ones from Matsumoto; she was positive they were both amused that she had let it go on this long without confronting him. After all she wasn't the type to just let someone play games with her like this.

And she almost had several on occasions. Frustration could carry her long way. The constant moves that were catching her off guard tempted her to chase after him and demand answers. Once she had even ended outside his rooms one night but she had never quiet managed to knock on his door.

She had turned into a coward.

Instead she took an alternate route and did what she had always sworn she would never do. She went and found Rukia to ask for her advice. Matsumoto her normal confident was out of the question these days as she couldn't be sure that whatever she told her wouldn't end up in her captain's ear.

That and Rukia was involved with Ichigo. That meant she had some very real experience herself in things these things; even if her explanations never really made all that much sense.

So off she had gone.

"_It sounds to me like he is courting you."_

_Hinamori paused, tea cup raised to her lips, eyes wide as she starred at the girl in front of her. "What is courting?"_

_Rukia laughed. "It's the term that Ichigo uses actually. From what I understand it's when a man is interested in a woman, and to get the women interested in the man, the man does silly things. Like um, take the girl flowers, and out to movies, and gives her chocolate."_

"_But Hitsugaya has only ever given me a few flowers, if it's him at all, so surely that doesn't mean he is courting me, yes?"_

_Rukia laughed again. "Well Captain Hitsugaya is not Ichigo, so obviously he would go about this different than him, wouldn't you say?"_

_Hinamori brooded over her tea as if it held all the secrets in the world and Rukia with a smile and knowing look let her. _

_She looked up a few minutes later. "But why… I mean…" she stopped and took a deep breath. "How did Ichigo court you, and why?"_

_Rukia smiled, "Ichigo had to explain all of this to me to," she assured the girl patting her on the leg. "Ichigo said he liked me, which was easy enough to understand. But because he liked me he wanted to do things for me, like give me the stuffed Rabbit he got me for my birthday. Well friends do such things for each other, but when I man does this for a woman he is courting it's a sign of his affection." She looked proud of herself, and Hinamori nodded. She could understand this; they had a system similar to this here in Soul Society. She had just never heard it be called 'courting' before. And the man never gave the girl such silly and impractical gifts like stuffed rabbits; it was always something she needed. _

"_But you see in the living world it's expected of boys to give the girls such offerings."_

"_Offerings?" She said, suddenly very confused. _

_The knowledgeable look on Rukia's face dissipated for a moment, before she sighed. "I don't understand it myself really, that part. But that is what they always seemed to be like to me. I mean what else do you call constant gifts that really have no meaning other than to get someone to like them, offerings. But anyway, they present these offerings to the girls and if she deems the man acceptable she accepts them, and they start to get to know each other in this sort of ceremony where he takes her out and feeds her and they talk and then he pays and then they go for walks. This can be repeated as many times a week as the female deems fit, and the man can afford." Rukia shrugged, "rather strange way to go about it if you ask me."_

_Hinamori nodded, though she admitted quietly to herself that she hopped that Hitsugaya didn't go about this in the way of living. It was rather confusing and she didn't want to be seen as some sort of shrine or something. _

_Rukia shrugged, "confusing isn't it?" She hesitated for a moment before plunging on, "Hinamori, may I be frank with you?"_

_She looked up startled, before nodding slowly. _

"_I honestly don't know what is going on between you and Hitsugaya, I mean, I know you like him, you have for a quiet a while yes?" at her nod she continued on, "and I know you have come quiet a long way in healing yourself from everything that happened with Aizen. Everyone here is proud of you and we all want to see the best happen for you," she reached forward and grasped her hands tightly and looked at her with the most serious expression she had seen on her face in quiet a long time. "But sometimes you have to let go of the past to embrace the future."_

_Hinamori watched her, trying to read her words, trying to judge everything that she had just told her, before ever so carefully nodding. "Thank you for your time," she told the girl with a smile. _

"_Of course, you know you are always welcome here." She smiled and released her hands. "Do come see me more often."_

"_I would like that." She murmured only half paying attention as she was lead to the front door and sent on her way with a smile and a wave. _

Hinamori sighed shifting away from her perch. Moving to the kitchen she carefully made herself another cup of tea. It was looking to be another long night. She had quiet a bit of thinking to do.

Erebrandir- big shiny eyes oooo... nice... long... review! And thank you! I will not bore you with how many times the last part of three was re-written, or how many types I wanted to just delete the whole thing because it was so... NOT what I wanted. But thank you! And I couldn't help but add more characters, there just, THERE. Part of bleach, and now my story. And the roughness comes from editing your own stuff, but maybe I did better this time! Thank you so much for the amazing review, it totally made my day, really!

Dove-chan - how many points! (greedy arent I?)And ya! I love a good waff scene, really, I do. So glad you enjoyed mine!

Ori- I must agree, CUTENESS all around. I mean the first time I saw them it was like... STORY BEHIND THEM! And now I have corrupted it for my own means, but glad you like it!

heheangel kisses- LOVED the new episode, totally. CUTE. Just dont ever watch the new bleach people dubbing wise, THEY DONT dub everything. Drove me mad. I will be a lunar faithfull here until the day I die... I mean it. Nothing can make me that desperate ever again. And yes it was supposed to be Chibi but I can't spell half the time, and well... Matsumoto is the proverbial wrecker of sap scenes, and she just couldn't help herself. Paper work is adequet revenge I think.

Gina- awww thanks, but your the cool person! YOU keep reviewing! Total bonus points there! And I am afraid there will be a little longer spaces between these chapters, but hey... it cant be helped I think... homework is of the devil!

Imaginator- ya chibi... typo, i shall call it a typo. And the rest comes from editing my own stuff, so if you see something I do regularly let me know please! And thank you very much, I try, very hard. Tried to take a little of my own shy self and give it to Hinamori (current boyfriend had to lock me in a laundrey room for 45 minutes to have the 'discussion') so hopefully its not coming across to sappy.

Chibirebel and ldybookiie- I am afraid its Matsumoto's job in life... she will redeem herself one of these days I think...

MommyRogers- um thanks!

lacus-chan - havent decided exactly how the ending sequence will be, but its in the next two chapters!

Kirby - hey thanks! Dont burst!

lleaves - maybe! ponders that would be a LOT of reviews to respond to...

Maria - thanks! And good ole Matsumoto...

WaterLilly - cough he almost kissed her!

anGeL Hinaningyou- lots of edges of seats! I LOVE Byakuya, seriously. Third favorite character... second... something like that. He is jsut so darn COOL!_ Of_ course I couldn't appreciate this in the current episdoe cause some new group of dubbing DIDNT dub half of it scowls at them. But he is ubber cool! So glad you liked it!

reader - frustrating for me to, cause now I gotta think of a way to get them together without cheesyness... ah well it couldn't be helped. So glad you like it!

Ylen- i know, men like him just dont come around often do they? He is vedddddy nice!

Thanks once again for the reviews everyone!

The next chapter will tentively be called 'The Redemption of Matsumoto..." maybe, since I don't really know if I will get to that part or not, these people just take over themselves...

Thanks!


	5. Chapter Five

Sorry about the wait! This last month was full of things outside of my control but I will not bore you with details! The chapter!

Thank you all for your lovely reviews! Review responses at the bottom! Without you guys I would not have found the inspiration to finish this chapter!

**Chapter Five**

Demon magic had never quiet been used to such an end before, she would know, because she was a master at it. There had always been stories about recruits using their new abilities to hide from their captain to avoid a well deserved lecture. They were true stories she knew, as she was the one who had hunted them down to deliver the lecture, even if it was a bit nicer than the captain in question.

Demon magic was something she had excelled at. It had come naturally and easily to her. One of the reasons she had made it as far as being vice-captain. She was not a hard-core fighter like some of her fellows, but she _knew_ things.

This of course, aided her now.

Hinamori had never been a recruit that got herself into trouble. She hated to fight, hated getting herself a demerit, and_ hated_ someone else's displeasure being directed at her. She was taking the time honored escape routes to heart. Officially going as far as to use: duck and weave, diving and hiding, hide from the corners, and many recruits personal favorite, 'I have a fever and must see Unohana'. She was, in fact, taking it to a whole new level.

Of course the fact that she was a vice-captain added credibility to her comments. There was also the bonus that she _was _a master of demon magic. Where a recruit would stumble or let his magic flutter at points she held it with an iron will. Where they would wobble at the sight of the Captain they were hiding from because they weren't quite sure the Captain couldn't see through the spell; she would remain perfectly still and calm.

Recon was one of her strong points. And it was one she had been using quite effectively over the past week. She had not turned up the information she had been hoping for but she had been learning other things during her elaborate game of hide and seek.

For instance she had been spending much more time in the Fourth Division plagued with her 'headaches'. Of course Unohana knew from the start that she was not having headaches but the kind healer had not sent her on her way. Instead she had simply put Hinamori to work with the other fourth division members who were tending the injured.

She had no healing skills to speak of but she could learn how to correctly tie and bandage a wound, what healing ointment worked well on what, and when the situation called for it how to stitch a straight line, something she had _despised_. She had also learned the art of setting bones, and how to make the all important healing ointments.

Of course some of the work she had not learned during her time in the fourth division. But her curiosity had been peeked on the many workings within the all important healing division and so she had hunted down several friends she had made over the years that were in the fourth division and pestered them with questions for several hours one more than one night.

While she was not confident she could make the healing ointments she knew what went in them now. And she knew what should not be mixed together and what was poisonous. She had also made plans to continue her visits to the division to further increase her knowledge as no one seemed all that annoyed with her constant visits and headaches. She could count on that as always being a good escape route. One full of knowledge for her, which was added bonus.

She had also finished perfecting an illusion spell that Aizen had shown her once. It was not up to the same caliber that he had mastered it and as much as she hated to use _any_ of the information he had passed onto her, he had been a master at what he did. Unfortunately his genius was coupled with hatred, lying, murder, an attempt to destroy soul society, and his sword through her stomach.

Once she had gotten passed that she was able to discern what she could use and what she would just be better off leaving alone. The spell to make her seem to blend in with her surroundings was a rather interesting spell, and one she had worked at developing it to her full potential. Thus far it had helped keep her out of several rough spots while she was moving along in her recon and one particular spot with Matsumoto.

She had also resorted to less amusing means of avoiding the tenth Captain and Vice-Captain. Blatantly lying to them on a couple of occasions and once the most amusing of them all, pretending she was taking a nap at her desk. While she had almost fallen asleep by the time their conversation with her Captain was over she had not been plagued with questions by Matsumoto, or one of those looks from Hitsugaya that would have her blushing. Her Captain had just given her an amused glance before returning to his own paperwork without comment.

She knew he had to be aware of what was going on. He never once mentioned her sudden 'headaches' or disappearances which amused and worried her. He was actually being rather laid back about the whole thing which. Knew territory with her captain, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

And of course there was Hitsugaya himself. She had not come to any conclusions with her observations that made sense to her, but conclusions had been made. It was a step. Most of them left her red faced with that fluttery feeling in her tummy while others had her staring out her window and wondering if she was right after all, or if Rukia had hit it on the nail.

He was obviously aware of what she was doing because he did nothing to hide his actions from her. It was a simple where she was he was. If she was down or feeling slightly off for the day she saw him more and would receive one or more of the delightful pink flowers. She had finally given up trying to tell herself that it wasn't him. They were quite beautiful and once she started to allow herself to enjoy them her cheeks were pink a lot more.

And of course there was the constant reassurance of his presence. Earlier in the week she had been forced to dress down a recruit, something she loathed. She was a vice-captain and she knew she was supposed to be a strong force in her group who kept the order and helped the captain keep an eye on things but she _hated_ to get onto anyone. She preferred to correct them in other ways than full fledged lectures. They had to respect her she knew, and she had to be stern with them when the time came, but otherwise she preferred to be the one they came to when they needed to talk or something was bothering them. She was not the only vice-captain to play that role in their divisions as for the most part Captains seemed untouchable to their divisions.

When she was done she had been shaking with the effort she had put into it. The recruit in question had broken several rules with his antics and had incurred the wrath of several other divisions as well. Her captain had been every bit as furious with him as the others so she had taken the responsibility of lecturing him to save him some face. She could remember other recruits she had grown up with doing the same thing and at least with her lecturing him he would not be demoralized. He was shamefaced and as upset as she was when she finished so she had sent him on his way with a slight smile before moving off to find her own place of rest and recuperation.

He had surprised her with his sudden appearance. She had to her credit not jumped. It had been the cup of tea in his hands that had her brows rising in surprise. He was handing it to her and she was accepting it before she had had enough time to process what was going on. And then the feel of his knuckles brushing over her cheek and he was on his way. His easy steps leading him down the path while she stared at his back holding the cup of tea. She had only remembered to stop gaping and move when he was no longer in sight.

It was that moment that she realized that what ever it was that he was doing it was working. The butterflies had increased ten fold in her stomach and the blush stained her cheeks every time she thought of his gentle touch on her cheek; which had been many times over the course of the next couple of days.

She had also started daydreaming about him again. This time however her brain had started to take her in directions she was not quite sure she was prepared to travel along. Especially when it started revisiting the night had almost kissed her with something she was sure bordered along obsession. When her brain started imagining what it would have been like to kiss him, she had moved into what she called evasive maneuvers.

It was not working.

No matter how much she dodged she found herself watching him when he was near. If he was speaking to her she found herself wanting to close her eyes and get lost in the sound of his voice. When she was hiding in the fourth division the unoccupied corner of her brain was dreaming about what it would be like to be held by him, to be kissed by him, and most embarrassing what it would be like for her to belong to him and him to her.

She had been forced to retreat more than once from the division office to collect her wayward dreams.

They were still dreams because she was not quite sure she could move past her own mistakes. Oh sure it would be so easy to fall into the spell that he was weaving. She could to, very easily, all she was positive it would take was to let the last wall fall and it was all over.

If nothing else all of her observations of him had shown her several things about herself.

The walls were cracking so fast that for every brick she put back up two more feel down. Every look, every spoken word, and every daydream was taking down the wall so fast her head was spinning with it.

But even that was not what had her uptight and her stomach in knots today. She had been just around the corner from her division when she had spotted Matsumoto walking out of their office. It was far to early in the morning for Hitsugaya to send his Vice-Captain out on an errand already, and the fact that the woman was running had her own eyes narrowing in thought and her stomach clenching into knots.

Had she gotten her captain to agree to something?

She hesitated. She was quite sure that today was supposed to be good. She had woken early that morning with a quiet sense of satisfaction. Not only that but she had a full schedule of things to take care of for her Captain, none of them would any unexpected visits. Her mind was not clear of worry but she at least had a somewhat better understanding of what was going on. After her hours of observation, reflection and note taking she had narrowed it down to two options:

Option A: She was going absolutely nuts.

Option B: Rukia was right and Hitsugaya was 'courting' her.

Option C: Sit down and talk to Hitsugaya about this.

She was not sure which one was right. She was even less certain she wanted to know. But she did know that today was _supposed to be a good day._

Her morning ritual of a quick bath had been accompanied by humming while breakfast had been a relished ritual. She had for once been excited by the idea of heading off towards her morning rounds.

She peeked around and made sure no one had seen her stop and turned her attention back towards her office. Slow deliberate steps took her where she needed to go. She paused outside the door for a moment before grasping the doorknob and turning it.

She walked into the office.

The first thing that she noticed was the smell; it was a gentle sent that had her closing her eyes in appreciation. She turned towards her desk, opened her eyes and froze.

Her desk was _covered_ in pink flowers.

Some were in delicate bunches tied together with colored pieces of string. Others were in single strands, while even more of them were free petals that seemed to have rained down on her corner of the office.

In fact she stood there staring at the flowers in a state of such shock; her mind far enough beyond rational thought that she didn't realize that anyone was in the office with her until he was speaking.

"I had wondered if you had a secret admirer or not."

She remained in her shocked position for several more moments before turning her head in his direction, "Secret Admirer?"

Her captain smiled at her. It was not an expression that she was used to seeing from him, not unpleasant; just different.

"You have been rather distracted lately. And I have seen you pull those pink flowers out of your desk with a look of confusion on your face, more than once." He turned and headed to his desk. "I almost thought it might be Captain Hitsugaya, as you always seem more distracted when you come to the office from that direction and even more so when I give you paperwork to take to him. But as the flowers do tend to show up when I am certain I have sent you no where near his office, I have decided that it must be my imagination."

She was gaping at him. She couldn't seem to stop herself.

"That and I can not see him contemplating the exact placing of such… pink flowers." He looked up with an almost too innocent expression on his face. "So you have aroused my curiosity, do you have a secret admirer?"

"I…" she stammered, before turning a dark shade of pink. "I…I …" she paused taking a deep breath. "I am quite sure that I don't know."

"Ah, well then," there was that smile again. "I am sure it will revel itself in time, though I do ask that the flowers on the floor be cleaned up. They add to the effect I am sure. But I would not want to find them attaching themselves to my person."

"Of… course!" She watched as he turned to the paperwork which had already piled up for the morning.

She scuttled to the corner where she kept a broom and dust pan and then back to her desk to clean up the petals. Her mind was in a whirl again. She hated her new clumsy streak that made her drop the pan more than once, she loathed how her hands shook, and even more so the pink tinge that was still coloring her cheeks.

If she had ever had a doubt before that Hitsugaya was behind this her suspicious were now very much confirmed. Matsumoto, her humming… she swallowed.

'Rational thoughts Hinamori! Rational thoughts!' she finished putting the flowers in a ornament bowl she had on her desk and sat down hard in her chair. 'Normal routine things…do normal routine things and ignore that amused look your captain is sending you!'

It was no use. She tried to organize her work into neat piles to see what needed to be attended to immediately and what didn't but her hands were shaking and her brain was so aflutter with all the emotions running through her she couldn't figure it out.

'Hinamori Momo this is not a big deal! You have gotten flowers before!' And she had. She was a vice-captain. All vice-captains were liked by at least someone in their division and every now and then she would receive flowers from someone for something. Once in her early days she had had several admirers and had received such tokens on a regular basis.

She had once suspected Kira of being the one to constantly send her the little tokens. But when he had never shown any inclination of anything of the sort she had simply shrugged it off and handed out the pretty things to other girls in her division; who the pretty things might mean something to.

But this… she looked at the crystal bowel that held her flowers and tried to identify them for the millionth time. They were not from anywhere around the city and in all her walks outside of their protected walls she had never encountered them.

Where was he getting them?

She didn't know how long she sat there starring at her paperwork. Long enough that the sun was rising rapidly in the sky and her captain was more than slightly amused with her. She could tell. He kept giving her those amused glances.

"Hinamori?"

She looked up slightly startled. "Yes Captain?"

"Can you deliver these papers for me?"

She scooted her chair backwards and nodded. "Yes of course!"

He handed her the stack of papers. "Thank you."

She nodded. His always polite appreciation of her work for him was one of the things that endured him to her. It was one of the traits that he shared with Aizen, yet it was something that she appreciated. He always thanked her. Then there were captains like Hitsugaya who simply just ordered their vice-captain on their way. While she knew that was how he and Matsumoto proffered things she didn't really understand how the other women handled such things. She personally would been tempted to throw something at him.

It was after she had delivered several packets to different divisions that she realized where one report was going. She stopped and stared at it in confusion for a moment before the name registered in her brain, Captain Hitsugaya Toushirou, 10th division.

She glanced up at the sun. It was noon, which meant that there was a very high chance that he would be off eating something and no one would be in the office. She nodded her head, yes that was it. If she was going to go, she needed to go now while he was out and she could slip in and then just as easily slip out.

The walk after that was peaceful. People had split into groups along the paths but the ones she saw were carrying their lunch and generally had no interest in stopping her to chat. It was lunch time around the city and that meant a much needed break from the daily chores.

She was looking forward to her own lunch. Her steps quickened. She was hungry. It didn't take her long to reach her destination after that. She knocked carefully on the door and was not surprised when there was no answer. She almost smiled. Instead she opened the door and walked in carefully.

And stopped.

Hitsugaya was locked into what was appeared to be a very heated argument with Matsumoto. His brows were pursed as he watched his vice-captain who was standing with one hand propped on her face and her head tilted up to meet his gaze; her expression furious. Hinamori watched them in something akin to stunned fascination having never seen such an expression on either of their faces before. Hitsugaya looked up before the closet thing that she had ever seen to shock slide across his features. It disappeared just as quickly. Matsumoto on the other hand was not able to conceal her expression as well as her Captain.

She looked startled for a moment before she smirked; which then changed to an expression of glee.

And Hinamori, realizing that she was three to many steps away from the door, took a step back at the woman's expression. "Um," she paused. "I can bring this bye later, I apologize for interrupting."

Hinamori really wasn't sure what happened next. One second she was two steps from freedom, and away from what was obviously a very dangerous situation to be around, and then she was alone in the room with Hitsugaya. She had a vague memory of a blond whirlwind sliding past her and the door slamming as she left in a rush.

Hinamori turned around to make sure that the girl was actually gone and the door was in fact shut behind her, it was. It was the sound of rustling robes behind her that had her turning around.

Hitsugaya was suddenly much closer than he had been before.

"Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" She almost gapped at him in her paused attempt to discover a way out. He had shut off whatever emotion Matsumoto had brought out and was now regarding her with an entirely different expression.

His expression was neutral. His gaze calm but she could still sense the tension in the room. He expected her to run away again, she realized. The self-preservation instinct had kicked in, and she wouldn't deny her immediate 'fly away' thoughts, but even as was thinking of strategies she knew it wasn't worth it.

This dancing around him was wearing her out. She was falling into bed exhausted at night and waking up just as tired. While it was great practice for her demon arts, in the end it was simply not doing her any good.

So she surprised herself and nodded. Again, surprise filtered across his expression and she realized that he had expected her to run from him, again. She managed a tentative smile and his lips curled up at the corners.

First move: Hinamori Momo.

So when he motioned for her to have a seat, she settled carefully onto the couch that Matsumoto loved so much and waited. Tea was a rather uncomplicated thing to make. But those moments seemed to take eons. When he finally finished his preparations he brought her a steaming cup. His fingers curled slightly around hers as he handed her the cup and she looked down refusing to meet his gaze. He disappeared for a moment before returning with a plate of sandwiches. She was glad as her stomach was threatening her with rumbling noises. If she didn't feed it soon, she knew, it would start in on her in the most unwelcome of manners.

She waited for him to take a sandwich first and then followed suit. They sat in comfortable silence and she was more than surprised at how nice the tea was. A smile quirked her lips, she could still very vividly remember the first cup of tea he had made. This was a far cry from the bitter brew he had handed her to try so many years ago.

It was not until she finished off the last of the sandwiches that his poster changed that she knew it was time to talk. Her stomach tightened and danced in protest at the idea. She couldn't stop the nervous breath she took. To cover it she took a long drink of her tea before setting the empty cup on the table and turning to look at him.

She had faced dangers far worse than this: she had fought for her life against hollows; she had been betrayed by her captain, fought Allankar and survived in a very vicious war. She could do this!

"Why did you ask me to leave?" Her head snapped back in his direction in surprise. That was not what she had been expecting him to start the conversation off with. A nice hello, maybe, or how is the whether? Jumping into the conversation like this left her caught completely off guard. If _anything_ she thought this discussion would have been about what had transpired during the ball not the mistakes of the past.

She was not prepared to answer that question. "What?"

He did not appear surprised by her reaction. If anything his eyes had narrowed and a mist slid over his gaze in an expression of determination she had seen on him many times. It had never been directed at her before and she couldn't stop another nervous intake of air.

His lips twisted in a self-depreciating expression that had the hair on the back of her neck standing up in warning. "When you asked me to leave it was the last thing that I wanted to do. I did what you wanted so I would not impede your recovery. I gave you space. I followed your wishes. I have found, Hinamori, that I am tired of following your rules." His eyes bored into hers, "and so now you are going to tell me about that night."

She was determined to not run this time and to actually hold a conversation with him. But her eyes widened in a mixture of outrage and surprise at his commanding tone. "You… you… you what?" She stood then, her outrage sending her limbs into motion. Tired of following her rules! Now he was telling her what she was going to do? He stood with her forcing her to look up at him as she continued to glare.

The rational part of her brain was yelling at her. She had come into this not to argue, to figure this thing out that was between them. She was tired of the constant second guessing of herself, and even more of second guessing him. She needed to control her temper and her desire to run from him or this would blow up in her face.

Yet there were clearly placed boundaries here. He had to know that! He did know that because in all the years since she had told him to leave her life he had not once broached the subject. Yet, here he was moving on ground and territory that had clearly been marked as a big no.

She was not prepared for this!

"We are going to have this discussion Hinamori." His tone was firm as he reached out and caught her hand to hold off any desire she might have to run.

She glanced at the hand holding hers and her shoulders slumped. "Why this now?"

His tone gentled. "Because something scares you, some past mistake or some new fear of me I do not know. But I intend to find out Hinamori. I will answer any question you have of me but in return but we will resolve this."

"I have work to do."

"Matsumoto has already agreed to take care of any of your duties that were left unfinished and your Captain is aware that we are meeting this afternoon." Her eyes widened as he motioned for her to sit. "Take a seat Hinamori."

She searched his gaze and found only determination and that icy gaze that promised he was going to be stubborn. She could not physically struggle against him and hope to win, he was stronger than her. His grip on her hand remained gentle as he tugged her gently back into a sitting position on the couch. "Sit with me Hinamori, we need to talk."

It was the remaining ice in his eyes that warned her he would not tolerate her attempts to fight him. She sat.

He settled on the couch next to her. It was strangely reminiscent of the last time he has sat so close. Only this time she was certain that fleeing was not an option. His eyes were not soft and full of emotion but hard and determined. The grip on her wrist was loose and relaxed but she had no doubt the second she tried to move from him grip he would tighten his hold.

She was stuck, and she couldn't stop the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She was still not certain if she was fully prepared for this or not but one glance up into his face and she knew she had better prepare herself quickly. It was now or never.

"What do you want to know?" She found no comfort in the timid sound of her voice.

He reacted by releasing her wrist and then placing his hands her shoulders he turned her in his direction before he took both of her hands in his. "I am not holding you prisoner, Momo." She looked up, startled by the use of her first name, and he offered her that slight lifting of his lips. "But we are long overdue for this conversation."

"What do you want to know?" She repeated. She was not comforted by his words, though she knew he was doing her best to help her relax. Every word and look was reinforcing how much he had grown in the last several decades and she felt very small in comparison to him.

She forced herself to take a mental step back and ignore the raging emotions that were still coursing through her system. This was Hitsugaya: her childhood best friend, the man she had fallen in love with. Right now he was a total stranger. She did not know this man. And she only vaguely had an understanding of the person sitting in front of her.

"I want to know what happened." He paused a moment as her brows quirked together. "I want to know where you went that day Hinamori. One moment you were my best friend and we trusted each other. The next and you were lost and trapped in your own world and no matter how hard we reached for you we could not bring you back. And then you asked me to leave and to stop reaching. I need to know why. What was going through your head that night and were the woman I had known all my life fled to."

She was certain her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Oh."

This time he did smile, and she felt that slow tinge start into her cheeks. "What happened?"

She sighed, not entirely comfortable with telling him anything. His hands tightened gently around her hands and she looked back at him. "Tell me Momo." His tone was gentle and she peeked up at his eyes and was surprise at the gentle look reflecting down at her.

She sighed, "I was lost during those days." She mused, words spilling out of her mouth unbidden. "Aizen was my world and when he betrayed us all… I couldn't cope." Her eyes closed at the memory. The feel of giddiness at the knowledge that he was still alive, the joy at seeing him how everything else seemed to be perfectly all right in the world, the feeling of cold steel sliding through her, "It was the worst kind of betrayal."

His fingers threaded through hers anchoring her away from the depths of pain that still threatened her world if she lingered on them to long. "When I woke, I couldn't ignore it. I tried. But that made things worse. My nightmares controlled my life for so long and nothing seemed to pull me out of them." Now that she had started, the words continued to tumble out of their own violation, and she wasn't quite sure she could stop.

"And then there was the knowledge that I had attacked you." her voice fell to a whisper. "That haunted me just as strongly. Not only was I betrayed but I had betrayed myself." His fingers tightened but she barely felt it trapped in her memories. "That night was particularly hard. I was still trying to decide if I should stay or go as a death god, and that was the day that I learned that you had almost been killed by Aizen as well."

She was startled by the feeling of his fingers sliding gently over her cheeks. She opened her eyes then, and was startled at the moister that shone from his fingertips. She was crying? She slide her eyes closed again. "The idea of you giving your life for my own horrified me. It was something I could neither wrap my mind around nor understand. I had already doomed myself to an eternity of regret; I could not have survived accept the blight that that would have brought me." She took a deep breath as the pain of that night threatened to overwhelm her once again.

She had pushed him away and that knowledge still haunted her, still echoed in her footsteps. "With that understanding came the knowledge that you were stronger than me." Her voice dropped again and she wondered if he was even able to understand what she was saying. "And that meant that you would regret your decision one day, would no longer need any aspect of me in your life, and would leave." She swallowed, while unbidden tears continued to slide down her cheeks. "That combined with everything else… so I made the decision for you." The last words were choked and she squeaked in surprise when her hands were suddenly free and then she was being tugged forward… straight into his lap.

Her cheek pressed against his chest, her arms caught between their bodies has he tugged her to him before he wrapped her close. Tears that she wasn't completely aware of crying pushed passed her defensiveness and her shoulders shook as she let go of the last draughts of pain and confusion that had continued to cloud her world.

As her tears slowed she became aware of several things at once. The most obvious change was the gentle crooning that she could hear echoing up from his chest; it was a gentle rumble that had her curling closer for comfort. His arms tightened as he obligingly tucked her further into his embrace. She knew she was supposed to pull away but he was warm and safe and for once she couldn't think of anything to make her move.

He was running a hand up and down her back soothingly and she was content to stay put. Once her tears settled down to simply sniffles he shifted her so that she could look up at him.

"Feel better?" the gentle croon transferred to his voice and she shivered at the sound.

"Yes." She burrowed closer to hide the flush that was spreading across her cheeks. He chuckled at her movement and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you for telling me, but I think you should know something."

"What?" her voice was slightly muffled as she stayed hidden in his shoulder. Gentle fingers disentangled her from him as he helped her into a sitting position. She peeked up at him shyly as he kept her from sliding off his lap, continuing to hold her close.

"I can not say I understand your methods, but I do understand your means, even if I do not agree with them. You are wrong, however, in believing that I would move on without you Hinamori." Her breath caught at the expression in his gaze as she watched him. His moved his hand upwards and gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "To do such a thing is inconceivable to me. I promised myself I would protect you and while I have not always been successful in my means to do so I could never stop."

"If you do not believe my words," he continued at her dubious expression, "then the last fifty years of watching and waiting for you to notice me should tell you a different story Hinamori." He watched her for a moment; and must have found what he was looking for because he continued.

"Along this path of life I have found many things in my life worth protecting. My division, Matsumoto, my friends, but always first and foremost there was you." She looked away to process the information and gentle fingers tilted her face back towards his. "You were the first person to befriend me here in the afterworld and you were the first to leave. So I followed you. Somewhere along the way you went from being my closest friend and someone to protect to being someone I would give my soul to keep safe."

A gentle kiss was pressed to her cheek. "What you have to understand Momo, is that I will do anything for you. I gave you space and time so that you could heal and grow and you have healed but you have not let yourself grow. And now you have a decision to make. Will you let me show you the paths of life you have kept yourself from? Will you spend the next several centuries growing with me or will you continue to run?"

She swallowed at the intensity of his expression and licked her suddenly dry lips. "What do you mean?"

"I am no longer interested in mere friendship Hinamori. And while you might not be ready for everything that I would tell you now, I am a patient man and I will wait. But I need an answer as to your intentions in this as well."

"What?" she whispered. She was nervous.

He smiled. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I am going to kiss you." His fingers plucked at the ribbon in her hair and she felt the heavy weight settle around her shoulders, before his hand buried into the soft mass. "If you don't want me to, if you are going to run from me again after this, or if this is too soon for you, you should speak up now."

She couldn't breath, she couldn't think, all she could do was watch in avid fascination. That softening of his gaze, the feel of his fingers in her hair… if an Allankar walked through that door right then she was certain she still would not have been able to move.

A heartbeat, another breath his eyes darkened with emotion and then his other hand was moving forward to cradle her cheek; her eyes slid shut with the contact while her hands moved forward to catch the front of his captain cloak. She could feel his breath fanning across her face.

And then her world shattered.

His lips were soft and insistent. Her world spun at the feel of his mouth against her own, the touch of his hand on her cheek; buried in her hair. And then he was pulling away. She managed to open her eyes and barely had time to register to look in his before he was moving forward again.

He kissed her until her muscles were nothing but a warm mass pressed against his chest. And he continued to kiss her until her breath was coming in soft pants and she had one hand buried in his cloak and another fisted in his hair holding him close. Until there was simply no doubt in her mind of his intentions, until not even she could question her surrender to his touch as the rational side of her brain fell silent.

When he pulled back it was a force of will to open her eyes. When she managed found herself caught by his gaze and blushed at his expression. His eyes were full of the warmth that was still running rampant through her. The gentle was accompanied by the darker green of his eyes that sent the gentle pink of her cheeks into full red. This time when that strange expression ran across his eyes she knew what it meant.

He leaned forward and buried his nose in her hair as she realized how breathless she was. She could feel the pounding of his pulse beneath her fingers. She moved to shift away and his hold tightened. "Stay," the words were whisper soft but she stilled before relaxing against him again. Her head settling against his chest and she was calmed by the sound of heart beat.

She wasn't sure how long they sat there, content to just sit and hold each other. He was running a hand through her hair and for once she just allowed herself to enjoy the moment. There would be no running from this now. But he was willing to give her space and time and she was willing to let him show her what she had forgotten. For now that was enough.

"Why the flowers?" she mused.

"To get your attention."

She pulled back then her eyes wide with questions. She could feel the blush spread across her cheeks at the look that lingered in his eyes. Instead of being confused and intimidated she felt small and feminine; she liked that feeling. That knowledge only made her blush harder. She liked her lips nervously and almost jerked away from him the moment she realized the taste of him still lingered on her lips. There was a slight curve of his lips and she realized he must have caught her surprise and ducked her eyes, shyly.

He placed a gentle kiss on her nose. "I tried everything else. The flowers seemed to work and so I kept using them."

"How did they keep appearing everywhere?" her curiosity pushed past her sudden shy streak.

"That perhaps is a secret for another time. I might want to use such a trick again."

"Oh…" she met his gaze in confusion. "My whole desk?" she demanded, and this time he laughed. She gaped at him forgetting her shyness entirely and glaring. "What?"

He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. "That was Matsumoto's idea." He gave her a moment to process the information; and then he was kissing her again.

Matsumoto felt a smile twist across her lips at the sound of her Captains laughter. It was such a rare thing indeed to hear, which could only mean that things were going positively inside the office.

She cast a glance at the growing pile of paperwork at her side and felt her small smile turn into a beaming grin. No more paperwork!

She settled against the wall and adjusted the hilt of her sword. She had not yet been forced to use force on anyone wanting to enter her captain's office but she would no more let anyone pass through those doors than she would have let Hinamori walk out.

She was sick and tired of doing paperwork! Hitsugaya had been certain to make sure that she had been forced to do paperwork every single day. 'In punishment for your act of stupidity during the night of the ball' was his reasoning, but she personally felt he was just being vindictive. If she ran out of paperwork he found her more, once or twice he had even volunteered her to do other captains work. Her eyes narrowed.

She was _sick_ and _tired _of doing paperwork!

If the only way that she was going to get from doing such things was to sit and threaten everyone who wanted to interrupt her captain and his lady, she would do so! It would only be fitting. He got his lady; she was freed from paper work.

She glared at the poor person who was walking in her direction with a stack of paper work with a confused expression at her sitting outside of the office in a guard position. She tightened her grip on her sword.

Not _another_ one.

All right ya! The story is done! Well sort of. Do you all want an Epilogue? I will leave this one up to you. I was thinking of doing some short stories to go along with the story to explain many things later on in their lives, but if you all would like an epilogue instead I can do that!

I NEED A BETA! cough

I am writing a new story called Awakenings: _Hinamori took 1 year, 7 months, three days, and 6 hours to wake. When she did no one could have expected the changes needed to bring her back, or the sacrifices one Captain would make to show her the path to redemption. _

And I am going to need a (msn messenger and email) or DavanTrask (aol). That and as you all know, someone who can pick out my grammar mistakes and help me with several things like that! Thanks!

Moving on! Let me know what you all want and thanks for reading!

_**To my Reviewers:**_

Night-Owl123 - salutes here is your chapter!

anGeL Hinaningyou - blushes again thank you! I like the idea of him courting her as well, grins it all comes to play in this chapter. This one is pretty longs itself, falls over it took forever for me to get around to writing this! Hard scene at the end, HARD.

AznSapphire – Here is your chapter, sorry it took me so long to get it to you!

Holofernes – Why thank you! And that scene was a particular favorite of mine! I am so glad you like my Hitsugaya!

Kittyblah – why thank you!

Starbee – thank you! I try really hard to write the characters at least close to character. It can be rather difficult, I am glad you like my interpretation of them all! And chapter three was me totally giving into my fangirlism!

TwilightHack – thank you! And I am sorry this one took so long. It was such a hard chapter to write!

Lacus-chan – thank you!

Waffles01 – thank you! And I like to think that once he has grown up he will go after he wants with no holding back. So that is what I wrote in this story. And I don't really think she had a chance! grins

Lleaves - ya those fics bother me to. I like to think she is more of a very tortured soul who has a lot of uses to get through.. Not completely helpless just very tortured. Though I will admit that my next fic is a lot more angsty. This one was me giving into fangirlism! And when they put their heads together two against one equals bad for her… did that help?

Heheangel kisses- bows to the long review you're my hero! And he had to distract her somehow! But for his defense it wasn't him! And well someone suspiciously was found very dazed and confused later on! chuckles I LOVE Yachiru! I can not expresses this enough, she is totally one of my favorite characters, glad you like her!

I tried to give Hinamori some background so that it didn't seem like she was completely nutty for not wanting to go straight back to him. A little history and a little depth go a long way for a story, I am glad you liked my flashback. It was very hard to write. And Rukia and her expressions are amazingly fun to write! And no one can be completely oblivious to him that long can they?

Dove-chan- um do I still get points? The chapter did come out! Here it is!

Ice illuser – yes I moved! Glad you found it though!

Kirby – thanks, I HATE long boring stuff. Glad to know you don't think so! And here is the update. Sorry it took so long!

Kaeru Soyokaze – it resembled Hitsugaya at that moment which means SMUSHING! And thanks, gotta build characters somehow! Glad that it didn't bore you! And I like to think that as a man he has the ability to fluster her!

Noc and NC – long reviewer! Ya, I give you serious brownie points, SERIOUS. Hitsugaya is a serious badass. A very hot bad ass at that! And I LOVE Matsumoto, she is perhaps my second favorite female. And thanks, I never did think she could just bounce back from something like her beloved captains betrayal, I would have gone mad for sure. And your like on my hero reviewer list!

Erebrandir – yes he is courting her! And its so much fun to write! Rukia is the best to write, because she is such a fiery character. And her innocence of things make me laugh. I tried to bring that into that scene. In all the anime/manga he was shiro-chan. So I figured it would translate into Histugaya and not Toushiro, that and there is that whole last name thing in Japanese culture… (I believe). And I always figure he would get the last word in an argument with her!

Betas are like the air we breath, you can't do much without one successfully. (points to her plug futher up the page)Gotta have one! And thank you, I am trying hard to improve my skills.

Chibirebel and Idybookiie – well I think I will write some shorter stories to accompany little things still left in the fic. That and maybe an epilogue, I have decided yet. I tried to make it where this could stand and then maybe some shorter stories…

Imaginator – Thank you, and here you go!

Gina – I am glad, I am always worried when I write long chapters that people are going to get bored and quiet halfway through. Here is your kiss!

falls over the end! For now anyway!


	6. Epilogue

**Author:** Davan  
**Story:** The Wooing of Hinamori Momo  
**Disclaimer**: There are MANY things that I would do to Hitsugaya Toushiro if I owned him… writing about him just isn't one of those things. The characters do not belong to me, please don't sue. You won't get anything but the 35 cents in my wallet.

All right there are no review comments because FFN has instituted a new rule that we can not reply to our reviewers. However, if you will sign in to review I can reply directly to the review that you have left me, or if you will leave an email address I will send you an email thanking you for your review.

If you do not wish to do either, thank you so much for your time and your comments. You have turned me into a review whore, and as cliché as it sounds: this chapter was written only because of you who reviewed. Thank you!

It's a very long epilogue, as my Beta pointed out, but it is a very opened ended epilogue. Open ended for any short stories I come up with for this story.

I hope you all enjoy.

Big thanks to Vicki for doing such an awesome job editing this chapter and getting it back to me so quickly!

_Pure fluff alert!_

**Epilogue**

Hinamori swatted at the fingers that were skimming across her cheek. The touch was gentle, but enough to wake her from her nap. Her eyes creaked open in protest as the light hit her in the face. She groaned before rolling over and hiding her head under her arms. There was an amused chuckle from above her and she peeked out to glare at the person laughing at her before ducking her head to hide from the light once more.

"You're going to miss dinner if you do not get up soon."

"Not… hungry." She grumbled burying further into the couch.

"You barely ate any lunch, sleepy head. Wake up." She stifled a shriek when fingers started poking her in her side.

"I _was_ sleeping!" she wailed glaring up at him.

"Yes, and Matsumoto wanted me to remind you that tomorrow is _her_ day for a nap," his lips quirked upwards at the edges belaying his amusement with her and his vice-captain. "She also said you had so much paperwork today she should make it two days instead. I refuse to get involved; you women gang up on me enough as it is."

Her scowl became a smile before she caught sight of her hair. One brow rose upwards in surprise at how much hair had managed to escape from the ribbon she used to hold her hair out of her face. She began quick repairs while doing her best to replace her hair in her ribbon without removing it.

She had discovered during the course of their relationship that Hitsugaya liked her hair down, a lot. He had taken to pulling the ribbon out, a lot. There were some days that he would hide her ribbon from her and she was forced to go the whole day with her hair down. She had an extra one on hand for emergencies but as soon as she had it in her hair, he was snatching it right back out the next time they ran into each other. Once he had stolen a dozen or so she had hidden in her office desk, much to her chagrin.

She had countered this by placing pins in her hair once she had had enough. The whole day had been a rather interesting cat and mouse game, him plucking the pins and any additional ribbons that she placed in her hair. He had over the course of the day, won the unintentional challenge. He was a Captain, which gave him a definite speed advantage. She had escaped the episode unscathed being able to dodge him for the majority of the day though he had gotten his revenge at the end of the day.

They had solved the small argument by agreeing that she would wear her hair down if it was only going to be the two of them and he would stop pulling her ribbon out if she was at work.

After hours was fair game however.

She blinked in surprise when her nose was tapped. "Dinner Hinamori," he said, before giving her a hand up.

Hinamori smiled up at him before letting him lead her out the door. It had been almost a year since he had cornered her in his office. It was both the most blessed and challenging year of her life as a Death God. Hitsugaya had changed. She had taken great delight in discovering all the quirks to his personality that had developed when she wasn't looking. Such as his fetish for hair, the way his eyes would soften for her when she was being particularly animated and the look in his eyes when she was about to be kissed. She had also learned how much it took to test his patience, the wisdom he had gained as a captain and the gentle nature that he only showed her.

She had changed as well. Though it was normally Hitsugaya who brought these changes to the surface; it had been a year of relearning herself. She had focused on recovering from Aizen for so long that she had not paid attention to any other part of herself until Hitsugaya had re-entered her life.

She had learned how shy she was. She had thought that she had over come most of her natural shyness when she had become a vice-captain but she had pushed so much of herself deep behind walls that once Hitsugaya had started to unravel them she had discovered how much of the hesitant recruit remained. This was more obvious when Hitsugaya was around. It was a wonder that they had ever discussed anything of importance in the first few months of their new relationship. Where he was willing to take the plunge and discuss things she had found herself stuttering, turning red, and too embarrassed to talk.

He seemed to be infinitely patient, sitting with her and holding her hand or resting his chin on her head while she fought past her embarrassment and walls to tell him he wanted to know. Occasionally, she would have to work up her nerve over the course of several days to talk to him about one thing or another. Yet the shyness was fading and while she would blush on the rare occasion it now took more than a mere glance or question to send color to her cheeks.

She still found it odd how reversed they were from the 'normal' couples that she observed in her everyday world. Rukia and Ichigo were a perfect example. Rukia was always trying to figure things out and had absolutely no problem demanding answers from Ichigo.

It was a trait that she admired.

She could not imagine herself demanding anything from Hitsugaya. Shy questions or requests were about as far as she went. She knew that she thought about things far too much. Matsumoto told her this on every occasion that was available. She didn't know whether to be thankful or worried that things didn't just fall into place with Hitsugaya. He always seemed to know what he was doing and would have the answers long before she did. It made her wonder who was older on some days.

She peeked a glance up at him as they walked and hid her amused smile as recruits scrambled out the way. Although he was with her, he was still a Captain, a prodigy who had grown into his power. He had gained a reputation in the wars. All the captains had, but she knew better than most how the recruits whispered about the prodigal captain.

'Cold,' some said, while others spoke of his ability to fight with a single-minded determination that was uncanny. He was feared as much as he was admired. Moreover, that seemed to have rubbed off on her due to her close association with him. People moved out of her way now. Crowds of new recruits parted for her, some gave her envious glances and some of fear. She found it all to be incredible silly. Hitsugaya would not step in on her behalf just because someone didn't move out of her way and on top of that she _was_ a vice-captain. She was more than able to take care of herself.

It was still a double whammy of a blow to the recruits she guessed, a vice-captain being courted by a captain. She chose to ignore it as much as possible, although she did find it amusing.

He deserved the all the respect he commanded now. He had become the enigma he had always promised he would become. She knew that in the final battle with Aizen he had been one of the three to bring his defeat. Both Ichigo and Captain Ukitate had been there as well. He was a captain; dangerous, calm, and wise. No more was he the child prodigy, but a boy who had turned into a man.

He was also hers. That made the world of a difference. Unless they were having a disagreement about something or she had riled up his temper she never saw the Captain they spoke of in whispers. She saw only the man he had become. That didn't mean she didn't see what they spoke of peeking out from behind his eyes on occasion.

They still fought. She was incredible stubborn but so was he. There were some things he refused to bend on and much to her frustration those things tended to be what she hated to discuss. Such as the times she put herself in danger in what he called a reckless manner, to keep one of her division members out of danger. Those arguments tended to end with her reminding him that he would have done the same or him coming back to apologize. That had been the largest problem. They had both had to relearn to trust each other on the battle field. He had grown into his abilities while she had been in her coma and he had to learn to that she had long ago learned her strength and weakness in battle.

They had reached an understanding though it had had more than its fair share of hardships. Matsumoto's demanding to know if he needed to fight her himself to see if she could in fact hold Tobiume to feel better had been the final straw. He had not brought it up since that day.

There were other things, however, that still caused ripples in their world, such as her fear of him leaving her. No matter how many times he reassured her all it took was a single nightmare where Aizen returned to laugh at her stupidity as the image of Hitsugaya's back faded into the shadows, his way of telling her that he had enough, to have her in hysterics.

Those were the dreams that she woke up screaming from. Those were also the days he would demand answers, she would be cranky enough to fight him. Those battles tended to end up with Matsumoto outside the office, on one errand or another, and him holding her furious body still on the couch forcing her to calm down. When she would give into her fury and cry, he would rock her back and forth while crooning in her ear. Those were the days she was angry with herself for giving into the weakness of her mind again and at him for forcing her to face that fear and then let go of it.

When the storm would pass he would ask what happened and she would tell him. Which would end in one of two ways, he reminding her with lips instead of words why he had no intention of walking out the door. Or, it ended with him scolding her for being silly and fighting him because he was _not_ going to leave her to any form of Aizen. Sometimes it was both methods.

Her cheeks tinged the palest shade of pink at the memory.

Then there were the times he was forced to hunt her down outside when she was feeling melancholy and needed time for herself. He would not scold her then. He would just join her. Sometimes he would only sit next to her offering her the comfort of his presence while leaving her to her own thoughts; other times he would curl her hand into his larger one and start talking.

Those were the days she learned the most about the man he had become. He would tell her silly stories about his regiment that would have her in stitches or solemn stories about the days when he was confined to the shadows of her life.

Where he got the patience to deal with her she didn't know but she was thankful. Her captain having gotten the story some time ago from someone, she personally thought it was Matsumoto, had given her permission to do her paperwork in his office with Matsumoto if Captain Hitsugaya did not mind, or she did not have any special duties that week.

So three out of the five days of the week she could be found in the 10th division office and the rest of the time with her captain. That was how she had Matsumoto had come to the terms of napping arrangements. One would do the paperwork for the day and the other would get much needed sleep. This had the hidden clause that if one of them was bogged down with paperwork the other one would lend a hand, taking the less important things that didn't require the divisions Vice-Captain's attention.

Hitsugaya had rolled his eyes at the both of them but had conceded his points against the idea when the two of them had ganged up on him. Hinamori with pleading eyes and Matsumoto with an evil grin that promised blackmail would be brought into the argument. Both women had been close before and even through her worst days, she had remained on good terms with her. Now they were fast forming a friendship that Hinamori had only viewed enviously from a distance.

She had always had the guys in her group as she had gone through the academy with them but she had never had the type of close relationship that so many of the other recruits seemed to develop with each other. She had always had Hitsugaya but there had never really been any strong female companionship in her world. She and Rukia were friends, but she had never been this close to anyone. Matsumoto was a Vice-Captain; she was also the only other female who understood Hitsugaya to any degree.

That had been one of the major factors in her healing. Finding her friends again, even Renji, who was a captain now, had started dropping by and saying hello to her. Kira was nowhere near as obvious about it, but she knew he was there to lean on, as she was there for him. A strange bond had formed once the by anger and the betrayal that had been overcome. Both had been betrayed by their respective captains, and both knew the pain and anger that brought; how long it took to overcome.

And just like that, the world was a whole lot brighter.

She was learning what confidence was again. She had thought she had gained it once, but knowing she had friends to lean on and Hitsugaya with her even in her darkest moments brought a sparkle back to her eyes that had not been there. It even added a bounce to her step that she hadn't noticed missing. She was healing.

Hitsugaya had spoken truthfully that day in his office. She had healed herself but not grown. Now she that she was growing she was finding the wounds that she had hidden from herself. It would be a long journey but the first steps had already been taken. She wished she could say that she was the one ferreting them out to fix them but she wasn't. It was Hitsugaya. He was not letting her hide from herself or fight him. He was giving her someone to lean on. Someone with unrelenting attention to detail and knowledge of her darkest moments and it was working.

She was no longer afraid of letting herself watch Hitsugaya in public and could smile and laugh without holding back. She walked with her head held high and no longer ducked away from crowds or hid in the shadows. She was becoming the Hinamori of old who had adored her captain and had her best friend with her every step of the way. Only now, that best friend was more.

Now he was Toushiro. No longer her Shiro-chan. He had become a man. He was _her_ captain, her best friend, but most of all he was the man that she had given her heart to and she no longer feared that.

Her world was changing.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His voice broke her out of her ponderings and she smiled up at him.

"They're not worth that much," she said.

His eyes softened briefly at her smile and her grin widened. She loved that look. It was better than any real smile a thousand recruits could flash in her direction. Not that when he truly smiled, her knees didn't go weak leaving her with the desire to melt into the ground. But this look was all for her and sent her heart into overtime and good bumps down her back.

"What are you doing tonight?"

She turned her head upwards to meet his gaze. He had bent his down so that his voice didn't carry across the courtyard.

"Nothing, why?"

"Don't make any plans."

"Why?"

"You will see."

She quirked a brow up at him and his lips curled up in response. She sighed.

"Hey you to stop flirting and get over here!" Matsumoto interrupted. "Yachiru wants a story and I don't have any good ones!"

Yachiru looked over at them both expectantly an apple in one hand and an innocent expression on her face. "STORY!"

"You're not out of trouble," Hinamori muttered up at him before hightailing it towards the girls before he could reply though the quick glance she shot him before plopping down next to the girls had a slight brush sliding across her cheeks. She wasn't sure whether to glower or ignore him. She chose the latter.

"Do you have a story Hinamori?" Yachiru questioned, while propping her head up on one hand and staring at them. "Ken-chan is gone again."

Matsumoto patted her hand. "Remember Yachiru, we explained to you why he needs to go see Captain Unohana."

"Are you sure I can't go find out what is wrong with him Matsumoto?" she looked up at her beseechingly. "It can't be that bad!"

Matsumoto continued to pat her hand. "No Yachiru, she will take care of him."

She sighed.

Hinamori smiled before digging into the plate of food that Hitsugaya brought her, "how about the Princess and the Pea Yachiru?"

Her face lit up. "Yes! I love that story! Especially when the princess smashes the evil pea into the queen's face!"

"Matsumoto knows that story," Hitsugaya said.

She looked up startled, "I do?"

He smirked. "You do."

Yachiru turned to her excitedly, "Will you tell me the story Matsumoto?"

"But Hinamori knows the story about the Princess who faces down the beast to rescue her magic tea cup."

Yachiru looked at her doubtfully. "How come I haven't ever heard about that one before?"

"Because it's a special surprise story…"

Yachiru shook her head, "No tea cup! PEA smashing princess!"

"But…."

"Matsumoto!" Her eyes narrowed, "Pea Smashing princess!"

"I think you should tell the story, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya said.

She glared. "Captain!" She turned towards Hinamori. "Hinamori!"

She smiled apologetically, "I am sorry Matsumoto, but I can't tonight."

She sighed. "Fine. I. Will. Tell. The. Story." Her expression promised retribution and Hinamori ducked her head and tucked into her meal to escape the glower.

Yachiru beamed up at her and bit into her apple. "Thank you!"

"Okay then what do you call that one?" Hinamori said pointing towards a small batch of stars in the sky.

"That is mensa."

"That one?" her fingers slid across the sky towards another shape.

He shot her an amused look. "Scorpius."

She sighed in annoyance. "Did you memorize every constellation in the sky?"

"Most of them." he agreed.

This time her look was vexed. "Okay then what is that one?"

"Auriga."

She frowned at the sky intently. Hitsugaya sat back and watched her with clear amusement. She ignored him chewing on her bottom lip intently staring at the night sky trying to find _something_ that he would not know the name to. Her eyes lit up a few minutes later. "What is that?" her fingers traced along the path of the stars and he shook his head.

"That's not a constellation Hinamori."

She gave him a triumphant look. "It could be!"

"It's not."

"How do you know?" She demanded.

"I just do."

"Then let's name it!" her eyes brightened at the idea.

"What?"

"Well, it obviously makes a shape! It should have a name!" her tone was matter of fact.

He laughed then, and she smiled. He rarely laughed, even now. She considered it an accomplishment when she could coax it from him, even if he was laughing at her when she was being serious.

She snuggled backwards against his chest again and looked back up at the stars. "The stars always remind me of when we were little." He stilled, "Those were good days uh?"

"Yes," he agreed.

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you for bringing me out here." She said before yawning.

She had been rather surprised when he had sought her out earlier that evening. She had not expected him to go through with his idea for this evening. He had been called out to his division to settle some rather heated arguments. She had gone back to the office to finish working on the paperwork that Matsumoto had left her. She had just been concluding the last bit of what she needed to send out first thing in the morning when he had shown up with a blanket.

"_What are you doing?"_ _she questioned. _

_He leaned up against the door jam and quirked a brow at her, "Didn't I tell you to not plan anything this evening? Maybe I should have added a clause about paperwork."_

_She blinked again. "I had things I needed to finish for tomorrow," she looked down at the small pile left on her desk, "In fact I still have things that I need to finish."_

_He moved away from the door jam. He offered her a hand and she looked at it bemused for a moment before sighing. "Work to do, Hitsugaya."_

"_It can wait till morning." His voice was firm. _

"_Do I have a choice?" she muttered._

"_No, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way."_

"_The easy way?" _

"_You can take my hand so I can help you up and we can go out to the field I picked out for our date this evening," he smirked, "or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you out there." Her mouth dropped open at his words. _

"_You wouldn't!"_

"_Try me."_

_She groaned. The last time he said that she had been literally carried around like a sack of potatoes for a good ten minutes. He had only let her down because she felt like throwing up, and they had arrived at this chosen destination. Of course they had gone past half of soul society by then and she had been teased about it for weeks. _

_She groaned before putting her hand in his. The paperwork, it seemed, would have to wait until tomorrow. _

"You're welcome," He settled a kiss on her cheek and tucked her closer. She punched him lightly in the stomach when she heard the distinct rumble of amusement in his chest at her yawn.

"Go to sleep, Hinamori."

"Can't," she mumbled, snuggling closer, "Got to get back to my… room."

"Go to sleep," he said again, kissing the top of her head.

"Bah," she retorted. She grunted in protest when he pulled the ribbon out of her hair before running his fingers through the soft strands.

"It's okay, Hinamori, I will make sure you get back to your room." He was crooning in her ear now and she relaxed.

She didn't remember falling asleep.

She woke to the vague feeling of being settled into cool sheets. She grumbled at the loss of warmth and rolled over in protest swatting at whatever was trying to get her under the covers. She gave in to the persistent hands as covers were tucked around her and a warm kiss was placed on her forehead.

"Good night, Momo." The strange voice was gentle and she was tempted to just obey the soft words and slink back into sleep. She managed to force her eyes open, instead.

"Wha?" she muttered.

"Go to sleep," now the voice was amused but she was loosing the battle to sleep and could only grumble in the back of her throat at whoever it was who had interrupted her dream. She had been curled up outside watching the stars with Hitsugaya and she would have rather not been woken up from that dream. He had just about kissed her!

She relaxed when there were no more motions or movements that threatened to bring her back to reality. She buried her nose in her pillow and drifted back off to sleep to the feel of someone brushing their hand gentle down her cheek.

"Goodnight Momo."


End file.
